Ending the NHS’s digital blind spot in pharmacy

Nick Linton, UK Country Head | Opella

4 min read1 hr Partner content

In the final article of his series on community pharmacy, Nick Linton, UK Country Head at Opella, examines how data and connectivity can transform the way self-care and community pharmacy is delivered

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan made clear that digital transformation is essential to delivering safer, more efficient, and personalised primary care. And yet, too often, pharmacy is excluded from the NHS’ digital infrastructure.

It should be a priority of policy makers and health officials to provide pharmacists with access to the digital tools and insights they need to deliver the best care possible.

This requires three shifts: access to the Single Patient Record, meaningful integration with the NHS app, and shared performance metrics and data frameworks that demonstrate pharmacy’s impact.

Supporting pharmacists with access to records

Interoperable digital systems across the NHS would allow pharmacists to make better informed decisions, and to access and update patient records in real time, supporting improved and safer clinical outcomes.

Central to this is the rollout of the Single Patient Record, enabling pharmacists to view, update, and share information across care settings – we welcomed the commitment in the 10 Year Health Plan to increase community pharmacy access to them.

This is not just a technical improvement, but rather the foundation for proactive, truly joined-up care.

Crucially, it would also help change patient behaviour and promote self-care.

When patients are confident that a pharmacist can see their records, can act on them, and can update them with their visit, they’re more likely to come to the pharmacy as their first point of contact, rather than the GP. Not only will this make best use of pharmacists expertise, but can also reduce pressure on GP services.

Driving digital integration through the NHS App

The NHS App is another critical enabler of digital, joined up care. But for it to deliver its full potential, it must be developed in partnership with the wider healthcare ecosystem, including pharmacy and industry.

Trust in the app is critical. Patients are more likely to engage with it if they see information and insight from brands they already know, and healthcare professionals with whom they already interact. Integrating pharmacist expertise and clinically proven self-care treatments into the app will therefore help drive adoption.

The app must also deliver the joined-up healthcare experience patients expect. For example, if a patient uses a digital tool or visits a pharmacy and self-care is deemed inappropriate, the system should allow for a seamless transition, either by booking a GP appointment directly or making a formal clinical referral through the pharmacy. This ensures no patient falls through the cracks and reinforces the pharmacy as a reliable entry point to the wider NHS.

Demonstrating pharmacy’s impact through shared data

To fully recognise the value of community pharmacy, its contribution must be measurable.

Indeed, existing data already proves the sector's readiness to deliver when empowered. For example, from April 2024–February 2025, community pharmacies exceeded hypertension case-finding targets by 181 per cent.¹

Digital integration would strengthen this further by ensuring pharmacy interventions are consistently captured and recognised within patient records.

Shared datasets and performance metrics can clearly quantify avoided GP appointments, prevented hospital admissions, and improvements in key clinical outcomes like blood pressure control and medication adherence.

These shared metrics would enable commissioners to plan future services around pharmacy's proven impact, ensuring sustained investment in a sector ready to lead prevention and access over the next decade.

A connected NHS

A fully connected, digital NHS must see community pharmacy as a core partner, and provide it with the digital insight and tools to play that role.

Our vision is for a health system where community pharmacists are seamlessly integrated into patient pathways, and equipped with interoperable tools and real‑time data to deliver proactive, personalised care at scale.

At Opella, we are ready to support this transition, co-developing trusted, accessible solutions that support pharmacists and empower patients to act earlier in their healthcare journey.

Digital integration is not simply about modernisation, it is essential to unlocking the full potential of community pharmacy, and building a more sustainable and effective NHS.

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