NHS App Introduces Prescription Ready Alerts

Never Wonder if Your Prescription is Ready Again

Millions of people across England can now receive an alert on their smartphone or smartwatch when their prescription is ready to collect, thanks to a new update to the NHS App.

The feature builds on the success of the app's prescription tracking service, which has already been used by nearly 2.9 million people and viewed more than 9 million times since launching last year.

By enabling notifications within the NHS App, patients can receive near real-time updates when their medicines are ready to collect from participating pharmacies, the service is already available in around one-third of pharmacies across England, with more offering prescription tracking and nearly 2,500 pharmacies supporting the new alerts, including all Boots and ASDA pharmacy stores.

This simple improvement could save patients time and reduce unnecessary journeys or phone calls to pharmacies. Instead of checking repeatedly or contacting their pharmacy for updates, users can see the status of their prescription directly through the app, including whether it is ready for collection or has been dispatched for delivery.

The initiative is part of wider efforts to make healthcare more convenient and accessible through digital technology.

Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer at NHS England, said

" The new alerts give people greater control over managing their healthcare while helping reduce administrative pressures on pharmacy teams".

The NHS App now has more than 39 million registered users and provides access to a growing range of services, including repeat prescription ordering, appointment management and access to GP health records.

To benefit from prescription ready alerts, users simply need to enable push notifications in the NHS App.

Find out more and register for the NHS App: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app