Number of repeat prescriptions ordered via NHS App up by 92% in the last year

More than 500,000 repeat prescriptions are now booked through the NHS App every week.

New figures released by NHS England show that since the NHS App’s launch in December 2018, more than 42 million repeat prescriptions have been ordered through the app.

Last month alone, the NHS App enabled 2.4 million repeat prescriptions to be ordered compared with 1.7 million in April 2022 and 393,000 in April 2021.

Year on year, numbers have increased by 92% from 13 million repeat prescriptions ordered via the app in 2021/22 to 25 million in 2022/23.

The increase comes ahead of the NHS 75th milestone birthday on 5 July, where the achievements and innovations of the NHS and its staff are being celebrated.

Patients across England are being reminded of the benefits of using the NHS App to order repeat prescriptions ahead of the upcoming bank holidays in May.

Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England David Webb said: “With two more long weekends coming up in May, we are reminding people of the excellent benefits of the NHS App.

“Patients can order repeat prescriptions through the app at a time and date convenient to them and access community pharmacy information about local healthcare advice and services available during the bank holidays.

“The NHS has always innovated and adapted to meet the needs of each generation and as we approach the NHS 75th birthday, the NHS App is yet another fantastic example of how we are doing this.

“The app offers a digital front door for interacting with the NHS with a host of new features launched in the last year– empowering patients to access services from the comfort of their homes.

“As ever, if you need care during the bank holiday weekend, come forward – using 999 in life threatening emergencies and NHS 111 online for other health concerns.”

Some of the features available on the NHS App enable patients to view their GP health record, nominate their preferred pharmacy, find local NHS services and get health advice via 111 online.

New and innovative features continue to be rolled out to help patients access convenient and high-quality care when and where they need it. Patients in many parts of the country are now able to view and manage their hospital appointments on the app¹, and many GP practices are now sending NHS App notifications to patients with appointment reminders and other messages relating to their care.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Technology is transforming the way we deliver healthcare for patients, and I’m determined that the NHS App plays a vital role in this. 

“Repeat prescription orders through the app have increased by 92% in the last year – including 2.4 million in last month alone. This is freeing up valuable time for clinicians and helping people access services easily and conveniently from the comfort of their own homes. 

“A host of new innovative features have also been rolled out– from viewing GP records to finding local health services – offering a digital front door to the NHS.”

The NHS App has now recorded more than 32 million sign-ups (as of April 2023).

More than 28 million of these have fully verified their identity through NHS login, which means they can now access a variety of digital healthcare services quickly and securely through the NHS App.

ENDS