Millions in England can now track NHS prescriptions via the health service’s dedicated app, receiving "Amazon-style" updates on their medication status.
This new feature aims to reduce the administrative burden on pharmacies by minimising unnecessary calls and visits, freeing up staff to focus on patient care.
NHS England estimates that approximately 45% of calls to community pharmacies are from individuals checking on their prescriptions. The app now allows patients to track their prescriptions, showing whether they are ready for collection or have been shipped for delivery.
Nearly 1,500 high street pharmacies, including Boots, have already adopted the technology. The service is expected to expand to almost 5,000 pharmacies within the next year.
Dr Vin Diwakar, clinical transformation director at NHS England, said: “We know that people want more control over how they manage their healthcare and the new prescription tracking feature in the NHS app offers exactly that.
“You will now get a near real-time update in the app that lets you know when your medicine is ready so you can avoid unnecessary trips or leaving it until the last minute to collect.
“The new Amazon-style feature will also help to tackle the administrative burden on pharmacists, so that they can spend more of their time providing health services and advice to patients rather than updates on the status of their prescriptions.”
Source: The Independent, 23 May 2025
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