Pharmacy2U has partnered with the digital health app assessment platform, ORCHA, to create the Pharmacy2U App Hub, aiming to “transform healthcare access” by putting patients in control of their health.
The new hub reportedly provides access to multiple health apps all in one place, with each app having undergone “rigorous assessment” by ORCHA to offer “safe, effective, and clinically assured digital health solutions”. This includes making sure they are clinically assured, data and privacy compliant, as well as usable and accessible for everyone.
According to Pharmacy2U, the hub is a “customer centric” resource designed to help improve health and wellbeing for patients, “while also empowering them to make informed decisions about their healthcare”. It has been rolled out across the UK and made available to the online pharmacy’s large customer base, giving them access to a “wide range of pharmacy services”.
Speaking on the launch of the hub, Liz Ashall-Payne, CEO of ORCHA said, “this initiative is a crucial step in helping individuals across the UK avoid unsafe, unreliable health apps and instead access clinically assured, data-protected, and user-friendly technologies.”
Transforming health and care with digital apps: the wider trend
NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board recently launched the women’s health app CONNECTPlus, to offer advice and guidance to patients regarding women’s wellbeing. Developed by Health and Care Innovations Ltd, the CONNECTPlus app reportedly answers questions about contraception, the menopause and cervical screening, while offering general women’s health advice around a wide range of conditions.
NHS Scotland’s operational improvement plan has been published, focusing on the roll-out of its health and social care app as the “digital front door” of their digital-first approach. The plan highlights features set to be included in the app, such as viewing hospital appointments, receiving communications, and updating personal information; sharing that an initial release will be made in December 2025.
Last month, British Heart Foundation awarded nearly £230k to University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, for their Appitrator app, supporting “personalised medication recommendations”. The funding will reportedly help to further develop an algorithm they have created, which records “key patient data” such as blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and potential side effects and then uses that information to generate personalised medication recommendations.
