The website – which went live today (July 17) – allows patients to search for services, including sexual health, skincare and vaccinations, and which of PharmaDoctor’s more than 7,800 partner pharmacists are offering the required service.

Once registered on the website, patients can start an initial consultation online, before visiting the pharmacy. Pharmacists will then use PharmaDoctor’s pre-existing online consultation eTool to determine which treatment is appropriate for the patient, PharmaDoctor explained.

The website is free for patients to use and there are no booking fees for pharmacies already using PharmaDoctor’s eTool, it added.

“Following the success of our travel health eTool service, we know that more than 50% of travellers using the service prefer to begin their consultation online, before sitting down with a pharmacist,” PharmaDoctor chief executive Graham Thoms said.

“Not only does this save time for both patient and pharmacist, it also encourages patients to engage with pharmacy services remotely, which in turn drives more footfall to their services.”

PharmaDoctor plans to make all its services available via the consultation eTool “in the near future” and will add an electronic booking system to the website towards the end of the year, it said.

For more information, visit the PharmaDoctor patient website.

Read an interview with PharmaDoctor CEO Graham Thoms.