Get an alert when your prescription is ready via the NHS app

While many people have been receiving texts from their pharmacy when their prescription is ready to be collected, millions more can now get an alert on their smartwatch or mobile if they use the NHS app. Nearly 2,500 chemists across England, including every ASDA and Boots pharmacy stores are participating.

The alerts were originally piloted in the NHS app last year and it has been used by nearly 2.9 million people so far. You will need to set up push alerts in the NHS app to receive the notifications and you can find out more details about the progress of your prescription order. 

Rosa Simpson, Head of External Affairs at the Epilepsy Society said: “We welcome the use of technology to help people keep track of their prescriptions, so they don’t have to guess when it is ready. For people with epilepsy, who may not be able to drive, unnecessary trips to the pharmacy can be frustrating. 

“However, while this new feature may ease some local access issues to medication, it will not help in the event of a medication shortage. We know that almost two thirds of people with epilepsy have struggled to get hold of their medication in the last year. To combat this, we want ministers to make the UK’s medication supply chain more resilient and work to build communication between pharmacies.”

Health Innovation Minister, James Frith, said: “People should be able to manage their healthcare as simply and conveniently as possible, and these new alerts will make it easier for millions of NHS App users to know when their prescriptions are ready to collect.

“This is a practical example of how digital technology can make a difference to people’s everyday experience of the NHS, while also helping to reduce unnecessary calls and free up valuable time for pharmacy staff to focus on supporting patients.

“Anyone that uses the NHS App should switch on notifications so they can benefit from this brilliant new service.”

Instead of phoning up pharmacies, patients can instead track their prescriptions by logging in to the app to see if their medicines are “ready to collect” or “dispatched by pharmacy” if they are being delivered.

Find out more on how to register with the NHS App