Leeds-based Pharmacy2U launches new Family Accounts feature to give at-home caregivers more control of their loved ones’ prescriptions
The new feature will give the UK’s 5.8 million unpaid carers, and millions more who manage prescriptions for their family, a single digital destination to manage their medication It follows the launch of Carer Accounts last year, which already has 80,000 users; 74% of whom manage prescriptions for one other person; 24% do so for two or three people In just a few clicks, users can set up multiple user profiles, manage prescriptions, and arrange tracked delivery of medication anywhere in England, all for free
Pharmacy2U, the UK’s largest digital pharmacy, is launching a new FamilyAccounts feature to give parents, guardians, and at-home carers a smarter and simpler way to manage their loved ones’prescriptions online.
Research from Carents, a partner of Pharmacy2U, and the first organisation dedicated to supporting adult children caring for elderly parents in the UK, reveals that 4 in 5 (80%) carents spend over 10 hours caring for their family each week. 1 in 5 spend at least 50 hours a week caring, and over half (51%) travel 1-5 hours to provide care in the same time period. The research also uncovered the significant impact of taking on the responsibility of caring for loved ones. Of the four million adults caring for parents in the UK today, it found 7 in 10 (71%) have made sacrifices to their career to do so, while 2 in 5 (39%) have resorted to reducing their work hours as a result, highlighting the load that those caring for loved ones are taking on.
The Family Accounts feature is designed to help lighten that load by providing a single digital destination for the UK’s 5.8 million unpaid carers, and millions more who oversee the health and wellbeing of their family.
Kevin Heath, CEO of Pharmacy2U, comments: “There are nearly 6 million unpaid carers in the UK, and millions more who shoulder the responsibility for the household’s healthcare without necessarily thinking of themselves as a ‘carer’. We’ve listened carefully to their needs and designed the FamilyAccounts feature to help people feel more squarely in the driving seat for their family’s health and wellbeing”
The Family Accounts feature takes a minute to set up on the Pharmacy2U app or website. Users simply set up a secure profile for each member of their household, linked to their unique NHS number, and can monitor, order and manage everyone’s prescriptions in one place without needing an account for themselves.
The feature offers reminders when it is time to reorder to prevent missed and delayed medication and uses Royal Mail’s Tracked service to deliver NHS prescriptions anywhere in England, for free.
Adam Dunlop, CEO of Carents, added: “Whether they call themselves a carer or not, many adults will look after the health and well-being of others in their family for long stretches of their lives. This responsibility often falls on the ‘squeezed middle’, a time of life when people are providing support to both elderly parents and children.
“Pharmacy2U has clearly listened to the needs of this community and created a feature that could help to make things feel more manageable by removing some of the hidden frustrations that can come with looking after the health of others.”
For more information, visit https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/