Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications, and a Trustee of the Bios Centre for bioethics updates readers on expansion of the services available through the NHS app.
Millions of people across England can now get an alert on their smartwatch or mobile when their prescription is ready to be collected.
The new alerts are being introduced following the success of the ‘Amazon-style’ prescription tracking feature in the NHS App, which has been used by nearly 2.9 million people since its launch last year.
The app’s users can now get an instant smartwatch or mobile notification when their prescription is ready at nearly 2,500 chemists across England – including every ASDA and Boots pharmacy store.
They will need to enable push alerts in the NHS App to receive the notifications, and will be able to find out more details on the status of their prescription order within the NHS App.
Around one in three pharmacies in England – over 3,200 stores – are now offering the prescription tracking feature in the app, which has been used over 9 million times since it went live last year.
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said: “Making it easier for patients to know when their prescription is ready can save time and reduce unnecessary trips to the pharmacy. We welcome the introduction of these alerts, which give patients greater choice and convenience in how they manage their healthcare.”
The NHS App now has more than 39 million registered users who can access a range of services, including managing hospital appointments, checking their GP health record, and ordering repeat prescriptions.
More details on how to register with the NHS App are available at http://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app.
The Author used AI in preparing this article. Comments upon or questions about this article can be addressed to chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com.
