There is currently little visibility of what happens once participants request a prescription, with most citing they "wait a few days" and then go to or contact their pharmacy.
Analysis of feedback on prescriptions on the NHS App tells us that patients need continuous reassurance that their repeat prescription request has been received and that it is being processed through various stages. Patients currently do not know which part of the process the prescription is in and need to have sight of this at each different stage. This provides patients with expected timelines and reduces burden on pharmacies.
Patients have no confirmation that their prescription requests have been made with a prescriber, resulting in them chasing before a prescription exists. Pharmacies too want to keep patients better informed about their prescriptions and when they are ready for collection. Patients knowing when a prescription is ready for collection would help to control the flow of patients within the pharmacy.
Providing patients with progress updates at an individual item level could help with tracking prescriptions and also managing patients’ expectations of what they’re getting from the pharmacy. Patients often feel that there should be a status next to each of the medications they have ordered so they know what's happening with each item.
Patients specifically want to know how long the process is taking. If things are going to be delayed, then they should be explicitly made aware of this. Patients are increasingly frustrated with the lack of status updates about their medications, particularly in the face of unprecedented stock issues. As a result, GP Practices are often required to set expectations around prescription timelines in the absence of prescription tracking.
Presence of a digital 'approved' prescription on the NHS App does not indicate to patients what stage of the process their medications are at. Patients need explicit indication of the process and the individual states within, although users are using it as a way of checking statuses.