ASDA has announced the launch of a new lifeline service across its 232 locations.
The retailer is set to become the first UK supermarket to offer an online prescription service.
AlamyAsda to start offering online prescription service to its customers[/caption]
The supermarket chain has partnered with the largest NHS approved online pharmacy, Pharmacy2U.
New patients can now visit pharmacy.asda.com to create an account and manage their prescriptions.
Asda customers can quickly obtain medicines for home delivery and track their orders once they have enrolled.
After being carefully inspected by licenced chemists, prescriptions will be delivered right to the patient’s door at no extra cost.
Patients will also have the option of collecting in-store from Asda’s 232 branches at a later date.
Kevin Heath, CEO of Pharmacy2U, said: “At Pharmacy2U, we’re committed to making healthcare easily accessible for the whole family.
“We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Asda to now bring our online prescription services to a place of ease for their customers.
“Supermarkets play a huge role in daily life making this a natural, yet exciting next step for patients.”
The UK has seen the death of local pharmacies with over 300 chemists closing down in 2023.
Asda had to pull the shutters down on seven in-store pharmacies just last year.
Asda Pharmacy’s, Head of Pharmacy, & Superintendent Pharmacist, Faisal Tuddy, said: “By launching this platform, we are now able to reach even more Asda customers across the country, some of whom may not have an Asda Pharmacy nearby.
“We know how important it is for families to be able to simply access their repeat prescriptions without having to worry.
“This expansion ensures greater convenience for our patients, who can now easily access these services online.”
More people are struggling to get their hands on the medicine as one pharmacy closes every day across England, LBC reported.
Experts have attributed the mass closure to funding which remained unchanged since 2016 – when it was reduced by more than £200million.
Malcolm Harrison, the CEO of the CCA, told LBC: “Pharmacy businesses are really struggling and unfortunately we are hearing more and more are ‘going to the wall’, either closing or choosing to exit the market”.
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