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Like many health authorities in the WHO European Region, the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has been developing and implementing new digital technologies over the last few years to improve public health and access to services, and to bring efficiencies to health service delivery at a time when health systems are facing ever-increasing pressures.

Since January 2024, patients in England have been able to access all their prescription information through the NHS mobile application (App), a key technology designed in response to the continuing growth in smartphone use in the country. 

Since the App’s launch 6 years ago, new functionality has been gradually added to allow users to view their general practitioner (GP) health records, manage hospital appointments, and designate a preferred pharmacy at which to receive medicine prescriptions.

“The NHS App now has more than 33 million registered users, representing 75% of the adult population in England. This demonstrates the growing appetite for patients to manage their health care online, which in turn brings benefits for health providers and medicine dispensers,” commented Natasha Lane, Senior Programme Manager for Digital Medicines at NHS England.

Taking digital prescriptions up a level

The App enables users to order repeat prescriptions online without having to visit a GP or health centre. If approved, a prescription is generated and the details of the prescribed medicines can then be viewed in the NHS App. In the last year alone, the number of these digital requests rose by more than 45%, amounting to 3.1 million repeat prescriptions a month. 

It is estimated that ordering repeat prescriptions digitally saves GPs an average of 3 minutes per prescription, adding up to considerable time savings over a working day and week, as well as cost savings for health centres.

Buoyed up by such a positive response, the team at NHS England looked at the feasibility of managing all prescriptions in this way, provided patients had had an initial consultation with their GP in person, through a telephone appointment or via a remote video consultation.

“We initially piloted digital prescriptions in one general practice in October 2023, before quickly scaling up to a network of GP practices, a region, and then across 5 integrated care boards until we had 1 million users,” says Ms Lane. “This staged approach allowed us to identify and resolve technical issues and any points of confusion, as well as to manage any potential risks associated with increased volumes of users,” she continues. 

The trial also allowed NHS England to consult with users on the App content and layout, leading to changes that made it easier for patients to understand, navigate and use.

Ms Lane said, “The digital prescription has also created the foundation for prescription tracking, to be delivered later this year, which will allow patients to see when their medicines are ready for collection at their pharmacy.”

Easing the burden on health professionals and empowering patients

Commenting on its launch, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins, said: “This is a tool that will ease pressures on our hardworking pharmacists and GPs, freeing up valuable time for them to see more patients and helping to cut waiting lists.”

The App’s new feature allows patients to view all their prescription information in one secure place, giving them the opportunity to query any issues early on and so avoid any unnecessary delays. Currently, digital prescriptions are being viewed by over 500 000 people per week. 

“Adding digital prescriptions to the App contributes to improving the transparency of health systems and allows patients to take more ownership of their health care,” believes Ms Lane. “It also, of course, means that patients no longer have the inconvenience of having to go to a prescriber to collect a paper barcode.”

Since its launch, there have been 4 million views of the digital prescription barcodes, which is estimated to have saved 300 000 hours of front-line staff time at GP surgeries. Pharmacists and other dispensers also benefit as patients can show scannable barcodes, making it much easier for dispensers to locate prescriptions.

Since the start of the year, pharmacists have also been given the authority to offer treatment and prescription medicines for 7 common ailments, such as sore throat and earache, to reduce the patient burden on GPs. This “Pharmacy First” scheme is likely to lead to an increase in patients visiting pharmacies, so the App’s efficiencies for prescriptions will become ever more important.

Digital prescriptions in the WHO European Region

England is far from being the only country in the Region to introduce digital prescriptions. Indeed, WHO/Europe’s latest regional digital health report, “Digital health in the WHO European Region: the ongoing journey to commitment and transformation”, shows that 82% of Member States routinely make prescriptions electronically available to their populations.

In addition, in the European Union (EU), some Member States have even gone as far as establishing interoperable systems to allow citizens from one EU country to obtain their medication through a pharmacy located in another (referred to as cross-border e-prescriptions). This means, for example, that a digital prescription issued in Finland could be used in Croatia, Estonia and Portugal without the need for a paper copy.

WHO/Europe views digital prescriptions as an essential part of the digital transformation of health systems. By improving patient safety and quality of care, especially for vulnerable communities, the service boosts efficiency and advances progress towards universal health coverage.

The example set by England in its development of the NHS App reflects the priorities of WHO/Europe’s Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030, which aims to identify patient-centred solutions that can be scaled up at country or regional level to help to shape public health and health systems in the digital era.

Their approach responds to and aligns well with WHO/Europe’s report titled “Health and care workforce in Europe: time to act,” which highlights how the expanded use of digital tools can support the health workforce.

The UK is also included in a new WHO/Europe report titled “Exploring the digital health landscape in the WHO European Region: digital health country profiles”, which takes a closer look at the state of data and digital health in countries within the Region.

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* This article was amended on 02 May 2024 to correct some factual inaccuracies and to reflect new information on the performance of the NHS App and the timesaving benefits it brings.