Savvy patients in the East Midlands request over 500K prescriptions per month using NHS App
New data from NHS England shows that patients in the East Midlands are using the NHS App and its Prescription Request feature to order more than 500,000 prescriptions per month showing a 60% increase since the feature launched in January 2024.
The data comes as patients are reminded to plan ahead with their prescribed medication so they don’t run out over of the bank holiday or during the traditional holiday season when they’re away from home.
Using the NHSApp has a number of benefits for patients. It saves time spent contacting their GP practice or pharmacy saving up to an average of 18 minutes.
It also means the NHS is able to save clinical time that can be spent better elsewhere. Each repeat prescription ordered electronically saves GP practices three minutes of time, with those ordered using the App estimates to have saved the equivalent of 1.85 million hours in 2024.
An additional feature of the NHSApp being rolled out is the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) which enables patients to check if their medicines are “ready to collect” or “dispatched by pharmacy” if they are being delivered. Around 1,650 high street chemists – including every Boots in England – are now offering the service.
Dr Rajiv Kalia, Associate Medical Director for Primary Care and PCNs, NHS England (Midlands) said:
“It’s great to see that over a million patients per month in the Midlands are using the NHS App to request repeat prescriptions.
“Patients’ use of the repeat prescription feature helps save their time and avoids calls to their GP practice. It also allows patients to request medication at their convenience with a few simple taps on their phone.
“With the bank holiday coming, now’s the time to use the NHS App to request prescriptions well ahead of any holiday time off especially if you’re travelling abroad.”
In order for patients to receive updates on their prescriptions, it is important for NHS App users to turn on notifications. There is a step-by-step walk through video which explains how to do this as well as view messages in the NHS App.