Largs

The Superdrug pharmacy app was launched primarily for use with patients in England alongside EPS. Quickly identifying the benefits to patients and GP practice colleagues, as well as the significant advantages to pharmacy operations, the decision was made to include the 10 Scottish Superdrug pharmacies in the initial roll-out.

This roll-out occurred at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although this was operationally challenging, it was realised that this was the right thing to do in order for Superdrug to support their patients when they needed it most.

The app allows patients to manage the ordering of their repeat medicines and book appointments with the pharmacy for a range of services, including flu vaccinations. It also boasts features to assist with compliance – including reminders to take medicines and knowing when it’s time to reorder – and enables patients to track the progress of prescription ordering; alerting them when a prescription is ready to collect.

Since the introduction of the Superdrug app in April 2020, over 1,900 users have been registered in Scotland alone. That is 1,900 patients (plus any registered dependents) that no longer have to interact with GP surgeries or pharmacies to order repeat prescriptions and no longer make trips to the pharmacy before their prescription is completed, thus supporting social distancing. In addition, that is 1,900 patients who are utilising the app to support compliance with medicine-taking and management.