NHS prescriptions are set to be delivered to people’s door by Uber.
From March, Brits will be able to use Healthera — an NHS recommended app for repeat prescriptions — for delivery in as little as one hour.
Customers will also be able to order everyday medicines and health products from more than 1,500 participating local pharmacies.
They can then track their order in real-time, from their medicine being dispensed to their Uber driver appearing on their doorstop with it.
Healthera, which is used by 750,000 people in the UK, said the partnership supports the Government’s ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative, which launches tomorrow and will see chemists given powers to treat common conditions and prescribe some drugs.
Customers will also be able to order everyday medicines and health products from the more than 1,500 participating local pharmacies. They can then track their order in real-time, from their medicine being dispensed to their Uber driver appearing on their doorstop with it
As it stands, patients using Healthera can order their prescription and choose whether to collect it from their local pharmacy around two days later or for it to be delivered, which takes around three days.
However, through Uber Direct, patients can choose to get their medicine within one hour of ordering it or within a chosen 60-minute slot in both cities and rural areas.
Prescriptions will still have to be written by a doctor following a consultation, while repeat scripts must be signed off by a GP before being dispensed, according to The Telegraph.
Patients will still need to pay for medicine and prescription in the usual way and there will be an additional delivery charge for the service, the newspaper reported.
The service will be powered by the same tech and couriers used for its takeaway and grocery delivery service Uber Eats.
Brits can already make orders with Boots through the Uber Eats app to get over-the-counter medicines dropped off at their home, as well as toiletries and makeup.
However, Healthera is providing the first express delivery for prescriptions that’s available across the country.
Research, commissioned by Uber, suggests three-quarters of Brits want their prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines delivered on-demand.
Quintus Liu, CEO and founder of Healthera, said: ‘Healthera wants to provide the practical solutions that will help local pharmacies provide the best possible service to their community.
‘Our partnership with Uber Direct is now adding a best-of-class delivery infrastructure that will enable them to offer customers and patients greater delivery speed, reliability and convenience.’
Caroline Varga, head of Uber Direct UK&I, said: ‘This partnership is making vital health products and medicines more accessible for people across the length and breadth of the country.
‘It’s a collaboration that will help pharmacies to better support customers and patients in their local area and grow as a business.’
It comes as the Government’s pharmacy first initiative is set to launch tomorrow.
It will allow patients to receive care in more than 10,000 pharmacies in England for seven conditions without needing to book an appointment or see a doctor.
Pharmacies that have signed up for the scheme will be able to treat and prescribe drugs for earache, sore throats, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, urinary tract infections and infected insect bites and stings.
NHS England hopes it will free-up as many as 30million GP appointments each year.
However, the Company Chemist Association told the Mail that the initiative could fail unless GP surgeries are banned from recruiting more pharmacists.
The trade body, which represents leading chains such as Boots and Superdrug, says so many pharmacists are now working for GPs that they are struggling to recruit to their stores.
The NHS has incentivised GPs to recruit non-medical staff, such as pharmacists, physiotherapists and paramedics, in a bid to plug staffing gaps and ease pressure on family doctors.
Healthera, which is used by 750,000 people in the UK, said the partnership supports the Government’s ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative, which launches tomorrow and will see chemists given powers to treat common conditions and prescribe some drugs
Meanwhile, millions of people in England will be able to access and view their prescriptions on the NHS app from today.
Patients can check if their prescriptions have been issued and see their prescribed medication.
Additionally, people waiting for NHS treatment will be able to see the average wait time for their procedure at their local trust.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the update will make the access to care ‘easier for everyone’.
She said: ‘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 hard-working pharmacists and GPs – freeing up valuable time for patients and helping to cut waiting lists.’
NHS England said each repeat prescription order from the app saves GP practices three minutes and saves patients 18 minutes with each online order.
Dr Vin Diwakar, medical director for transformation at NHS England, said: ‘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.’
