{"id":63296,"date":"2025-08-13T05:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T05:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/63296\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T05:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T05:22:11","slug":"nhs-app-prescription-tracker-used-by-nearly-400000-people-since-launch-claims-nhse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/63296\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS app prescription tracker used by nearly 400,000 people since launch, claims NHSE"},"content":{"rendered":"

In News<\/p>\n

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Record learning outcomes<\/p>\n

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NHS England has said almost 400,000 people in England have used the prescription tracking feature in the NHS app while 1,650 pharmacies have offered it to patients in the 10 weeks since it launched.<\/p>\n

The tracking feature allows people to check when their medicines are ready to collect or if they have been dispatched by the pharmacy for delivery to someone\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

In a statement at the weekend, NHSE said the tracker has been used 715,000 times by 394,000 people since May, or once every nine seconds, with around 4.4 million people viewing their prescription in the app since its launch. <\/p>\n

NHSE also said every Boots branch in the country is offering the tracking service although it is unclear how many independent pharmacies are providing it. Independent Community Pharmacist has asked NHSE for more details.<\/p>\n

It said the feature will be made available to nearly 5,000 more pharmacies in the next 12 months \u201ccovering 60 per cent of those in England\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prescription tracking feature is just one of many planned improvements to the NHS app which will soon expand to offer patients more appointment options and greater choice as part of the Government\u2019s commitment to put patients in control of their healthcare and reduce waiting lists,\u201d NHSE said.<\/p>\n

NPA: Service must be available to all pharmacies, not just multiples<\/p>\n

It revealed 45 per cent of phone calls to pharmacies are from patients asking if their prescription is ready and insisted the app and tracker will help \u201cfree up time for pharmacists to provide advice to patients\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg urged the Government to ensure the service is available to all community pharmacies, not just the multiples.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe introduction of real-time prescription tracking is a game-changer and if rolled out equitably to all pharmacies, it will encourage greater use of the NHS app,\u201d he said. \u201cIn many pharmacies, we\u2019ve seen limited patient uptake of the NHS\u00a0app\u00a0largely because this functionality wasn\u2019t previously available.<\/p>\n

\u201cPharmacies want to do all they can to embrace new technology and make the vital services they offer as easy and convenient as possible for patients to access.<\/p>\n

\u201cA number of pharmacies already use tracking apps for prescriptions.\u00a0Anything that allows pharmacies to focus on delivering first-class patient care, rather than spending time on phone calls to provide prescription status updates is welcome news.\u201d<\/p>\n

NHSE said the app has 37.4 million registered users while an average of 11.4 million people log in each month. Some 61.5 million repeat prescriptions have been ordered through the app in the last 12 months, a 46 per cent increase on the previous year when 42.2 million repeat prescriptions were ordered.<\/p>\n

NHS also said there were 87.4 million views of patient test results during the same period.<\/p>\n

Yasif Salim, a pharmacist at Ryan\u2019s Pharmacy in West Yorkshire, said \u201cthe phone would ring constantly\u201d before the tracking feature was introduced, making it \u201cquite stressful and overwhelming\u201d for his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe pride ourselves on our customer service and that means trying our very best not to let a call go unanswered,\u201d he said. \u201cBut some nights I went to sleep and dreamt of the phones ringing. And I know that feeling ran across the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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