NHS app users in England can now get a ping on their phone the moment their prescription is ready to collect, in a new update rolling out across the country.
The feature, available through the NHS app, sends push notifications to smartphones and smartwatches telling users their medication is ready. NHS England says the change will cut unnecessary phone calls to pharmacies and stop people turning up at the counter before their prescription is done.
There is one catch: users must switch on push notifications in the app to receive the alerts — they do not arrive by default.
The update builds on the existing prescription tracker, described by officials as “Amazon-style”, which has already been used by nearly 2.9 million people. Around one in three pharmacies in England now offer the tracking service, with thousands of pharmacies already live with the new ready alerts. The alerts are designed to give near real-time updates, so patients no longer need to keep checking the app or ringing their pharmacy to ask whether their medicines are ready.
Health innovation minister James Frith said the feature was a “practical example of how digital technology can make a difference” to people’s everyday experience of the NHS, while helping to cut unnecessary calls and freeing up pharmacy staff to focus on supporting patients. He urged everyone who uses the NHS app to “switch on notifications” to benefit from the new service.
Rob Thompson, chief digital, data and technology officer at NHS England, said the alerts were the latest step in giving people “more control over how they manage their healthcare”, while also reducing admin for staff. He encouraged all NHS app users to enable notifications in the app so they can get the full benefit.
Patient groups have welcomed the move. Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said making it easier for patients to know when their prescription is ready could save time and reduce unnecessary trips to the pharmacy, adding: “It’s something many people have been asking for.”
How to enable prescription-ready alerts
The alerts only work if notifications are switched on. Here is how to set them up:
- Open the NHS app and log in as normal.
- Go to your account or settings area and find Notifications.
- Switch on push notifications for the app, including prescription updates where shown.
- Check your phone’s own settings too: on iPhone go to Settings > Notifications > NHS; on Android go to Settings > Apps > NHS > Notifications, and allow alerts, banners and lock-screen notifications.
- Order or track your prescription through the app as usual — you should then get a ping when it is ready to collect.
- If alerts do not arrive, ask your pharmacist whether the branch is live with tracking — around one in three pharmacies in England currently offer the service.
More than prescriptions: what the NHS app already does
The ready alerts are the latest addition to a fast-growing set of digital services inside the NHS app. Patients can already order repeat prescriptions, follow them with the Amazon-style tracker, book and manage GP appointments, view their GP health record, see test results and use NHS 111 online.
The app sits alongside a wider push to digitise the health service, from a bespoke artificial tongue fitted for an East London cancer survivor to patient-safety initiatives such as Martha’s Rule, now being expanded to every A&E in England. Together they point to an NHS leaning harder on technology to take pressure off frontline staff.
What it means for London
For Londoners, the change lands in a city where community pharmacies handle huge volumes of prescriptions every day. Cutting premature visits and repeat phone calls matters most where counters are busiest — and the capital’s high streets are full of them.
It is also a small win for overstretched pharmacy teams. London pharmacists have described the strain of recent years, from rising demand to the admin that comes with it — including one Romford pharmacist left at her wit’s end when her email account vanished. Fewer “is it ready yet?” calls means more time for patient care.
The rollout is gradual, so not every London pharmacy will offer the alerts yet. But with thousands already live and around a third of pharmacies in England on board, most patients ordering repeat prescriptions through the app should start seeing the benefit soon.
Anyone who already uses the NHS app to manage prescriptions should check their notification settings today — the ping telling you your medicines are ready could save you a wasted trip.
