“The patients that are using it have found it really simple, they can’t believe how quickly prescriptions are coming through!”

Hey Pharmacist is a free online service designed to streamline the process of ordering repeat prescriptions, allowing the customer to stay on top of their medication via their smartphone. The service is available to all Numark members across England, making pharmacy more accessible than ever and allowing patients to take full control of their prescription.

We are currently in the process of rolling out the brand new Hey Pharmacist portal, where members are able to manage orders and communicate remotely with patients. The portal was piloted across a small number of pharmacies during March, and the feedback was used to tailor the product into something which can be used on a wider scale.

Rimi Baden is the manager of Rexall Chemist in Wolverhampton, and took part in the pilot scheme for the Hey Pharmacist portal. Rimi currently looks after a team of around ten members of staff, including delivery drivers and registered pharmacists, and cited the importance of new technology as a key factor in the decision to get involved with the pilot:

“As a pharmacy we always need to look at ways to move forward with the business and move with the times. We like to be ahead of the game and try different things, and in our area we were the first pharmacy that led with the pilot for the electronic prescriptions.”

“The speed of things and the ease of use has been really amazing”

Despite still being in its infancy as a product, the Hey Pharmacist portal is proving to be an extremely efficient system that benefits both the pharmacist and the customer. One of the key elements it the ease with which the system can be operated, which Rimi was quick to confirm had been the case when Rexall carried out the trial:

“It is a very simple system to use. Everyone in our team has been able to work with it whether they are IT proficient or not, and in terms of patient journey it has been really good also. The biggest feedback that we had was that we would ideally want integration through the PMR, but we are aware that this is going to be something that will be offered in the future and that will be absolutely fantastic.”

Patients at Rexall Chemist have also been able to take advantage of the in-store activation feature during its trial within the pharmacy.

“In-store activation allows my team to sign-up patients to the Hey Pharmacist service using QR technology. It had been an extremely effective way of facilitating customer communication and has added value to the service that we offer to our patients.”

“The patients that are using it have found it really simple, they can’t believe how quickly prescriptions are coming through. Not only are the able to order whenever they want, from home in the middle of the night if they have forgotten to order for instance, but the speed of things and the ease of use has been really amazing. I would completely recommend this system to other pharmacies, and I would advise setting aside some time to allow you to integrate it within your own processes.”