Bizarre that I came across this on a USA computer site (dedicated to Apple things).
England's NHS App Gains Digital Prescription Services
Tuesday January 30, 2024 3:22 am PST by Tim Hardwick
NHS App users in England can now collect medication from a pharmacy without having to contact a GP or health center to get a paper prescription, according to NHS Digital.
nhs digital prescription
From today, patients in England can use the NHS App to view all their prescription details, order repeat prescriptions, and generate a barcode for medication collection. The barcode replaces the traditional paper slip given by doctors.
The national rollout follows a successful pilot in late 2023. Since then, over 1 million patients have used the app to view their prescriptions. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC the update would "ease pressures on our hardworking pharmacists and GPs - freeing up valuable time for patients and helping to cut waiting lists."
The new functionality allows patients to see the medication prescribed, the prescription type (repeat or one-off), and who the prescribing professional is. Patients who don't have a nominated pharmacy can generate a prescription barcode for collection. The app also now shows average local hospital waiting times for elective treatment, such as hip replacements.
NHS Digital says future developments for the service are now being explored, including prescription tracking to tell patients when medications are ready for collection.
Announced in 2018, the NHS Digital app allows more than 33 million registered users to view their health record from their GP and manage hospital appointments. The NHS app is available on iOS devices through the App Store, as well as on Android phones via Google Play.
It sounds like it possibly does make it easier to take your prescription to any pharmacy as long as you don't already have a nominated one.🤷🏼♂️ That's how I read it?
I personally don't understand it. Most GP surgeries have done away with paper scripts and make you nominate a pharmacy. So I don't understand what this is actually going to do?
When they order my Lio which comes from a different pharmacy (on the spine), they have to delete my normal pharmacy, put in the Lio one and then change it back to make sure all my normal meds don't end up going to Essex! Sounds like his is just a bit of NHS boasting to me.
I know with my nominated pharmacy if they don’t have a particular prescription in stock, which I no lot of pharmacy’s have had trouble the last couple of years with certain medications, they issue what looks like the usual green paper script but it is a token prescription that I can take to another pharmacy to see if they have it, so a barcode on your phone would be a similar thing, especially handy for people who have trouble sourcing a certain thyroid brand from their own nominated pharmacy, it would be easier to phone round then just go and collect it from them rather than waiting for your own pharmacy to get hold of which sometimes can be a while
I get my Lio from Essex pharmacy but I have to send my prescription as my pharmacy at my surgery told me they couldn’t do my Lio electronically as it would have to be all my items can’t do it for one item .. it’s a pain having to pick one a script and post it xxx
Well that seems like laziness to me! They had a few issues with mine until we worked out a system - I only order my Lio on its own for instance now. Surely they could send it if you agreed to order any other regular meds separately so they don’t get mixed up with pharmacey’s?
If the system doesn't allow single prescriptions to be sent to different pharmacies, or retained for collection, or similar, then I have an understanding of the practice's difficulties.
Surgeries can't just add facilities to their computer systems. They don't have access to the innards. If no-one who built the system allowed for exceptions, they are in an awkward situation.
They would need to add a paper system, or separate spreadsheets, to manage exceptions. And it would be all too prone to mistakes. And who is responsible for whatever add-on system they create?
The issue is down to the original design of the electronic systems which have assumed one patient can get everything from one pharmacy - pretty much without exception.
I went on the digital prescription app and I can only get basic scripts like 2 lots of eye drops,2 inhalers and blephasol eye lotion, those were just the approved scripts, no T4 etc
I think many members manage to get their T4 on repeat - through the NHS app - without difficulty. If you can't, I think you'll need to contact your GP surgery.
Hi there Iv gone back on and all my meds are on there now even ones that aren’t due yet, maybe as it’s the first time Iv gone on there not everything was put up until they know you are going to use it.
Only went 'live' today so quite likely there are gremlins... mine is only showing ones due for repeat 🤷♀️ Unless I go into the medical record bit and then it lists all medication and dates prescribed
The NHS England announcement makes some things a bit clearer - but still could have been done much better.
If you are prescribed a medicine, you can get it from a pharmacy by producing the barcode. This removes the need to pick up a printed prescription at all. (If you already have a nominated pharmacy, and you intend to pick up from there, then there is no real change, it appears.)
I think it will help if you need to go to "alien" pharmacies such as when your nominated pharmacy is too far away or cannot supply an item.
And you will be able to see when a prescription has been issued - e.g. if you have rung up, had a phone appointment, or whatever and are expecting a prescription.
Being within the NHS app, it could be that anyone using other apps will not have these things available immediately.
News
Digital prescriptions go live in NHS App
30 January 2024
DigitalPatient care
Millions of people will be able to use the NHS App to view their prescriptions for the first time from today.
Following a successful trial last year involving over a million users, NHS England is adding the new service to the app which will allow patients to see when their prescriptions have been issued and view their prescribed medication.
Patients waiting for an elective hospital treatment will also now be able to see the average waiting time for their procedure at their local trust, and users without a nominated pharmacy will be able to use a barcode in the app to collect their prescription from any pharmacy instead of needing a paper version.
Anyone who has a nominated pharmacy can continue to collect medication without a paper prescription or barcode as details are sent to their pharmacy electronically.
The new features are being added as the NHS runs a campaign to encourage more people to use the app in their everyday lives and help free up time on the frontline.
Patients can already use the NHS App to request repeat prescriptions digitally and the number of repeat prescriptions ordered through the app has grown by 45% over the past year, with an average of 3.1 million now requested every month.
Each repeat prescription ordered electronically saves GP practices three minutes of time, with those ordered using the app expected to save the equivalent of 1.85 million hours in 2024.
Patients also save an average of 18 minutes with each online order, making it more convenient for patients and freeing up frontline staff to do other important duties.
Vin Diwakar, National Director for Transformation at NHS England said: “The NHS App is transforming the way people manage their healthcare, freeing up valuable time for healthcare professionals.
“Giving all patients in England direct access to prescription information through the app means they’ll know when their prescription is issued and avoid delays in collection.
“The new feature will also mean people who haven’t set a nominated pharmacy will be able to present the barcode in the app to a pharmacy of their choice without needing a paper version.
“The prescription service is the latest in a number of services we’re adding to the NHS App to provide better care for patients. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t used the NHS App for a while, or who has never downloaded it, to tap the app and see what it has to offer.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I’m determined to make our health care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients – and the NHS App is all about making access to care easier for everyone.
“Today’s update will mean ordering and collecting your prescriptions can be done with a few taps of your fingers. This will not only benefit anyone getting a prescription, it will also ease pressures on our hardworking pharmacists and GPs – freeing up valuable time for patients and helping to cut waiting lists.”
Joe Harrison, National Director of Digital Channels at NHS England, added: “The NHS App is helping to support our frontline staff, freeing up time to treat more patients and enabling patients to get more involved in their care.
“Millions of people are already using the app to order repeat prescriptions, and they’ll now also be able to view and manage their prescriptions using the new service in the app.”
The NHS App has gained 33.6 million registered users – equivalent to around three quarters of the adult population – since its launch five years ago.
The new campaign is spreading the message that whether sorting a repeat prescription, checking your GP record or accessing a wealth of information and connected services, you simply need to ‘tap the app’.
The campaign coincides with improvements within the app to make it easier for patients to find the services they need, providing a simplified and more intuitive experience.
More details on how to register with the NHS App are available at nhs.uk/nhs-app.
I myself understand what it meant and think it is a good thing to be honest as I had a lot of trouble sourcing a few items I get on repeat from my nominated pharmacy as they couldn’t get hold of them and at first I just did without which was a pain in itself, I then started phoning Round other pharmacy’s to check their stock levels of availability rather than go without again so I am glad of it, it will beneficial to me and other people in the same situation. Our gp has been digital for years for scripts and seeing medical history
As I think more about this system, I end up with more questions.
What does someone with an English GP/surgery do if they are on holiday in one of the other four home nations? Can they get a barcode and present it at a pharmacy there? Or do they have to get the physical prescription sent to them?
I no with wales they couldn’t scan the barcode on our prescription tokens, which is what our pharmacy issues if they have none of the said medication that goes straight to them being my nominated pharmacy, avail r you can take it to another pharmacy they were still using the old green script we had before our new ones so prob have problems in wales not sure about Scotland or Ireland though
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