The £1 million investment will go towards assisting “more local pharmacies and patients across the UK to easily manage their prescriptions and consultations online”, Charac wrote in an announcement yesterday (June 27).

Commenting on the investment, Charac founder Santosh Sahu said: “The pandemic has outlined the necessity of community healthcare and the power of digital delivery.”

“[The] investment will help local pharmacies across the UK adapt, survive and thrive by arming them with the necessary technology to exist in our houses as well as on our high street,” he added.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail health managing director Stefan Kulik – who was recently appointed a board member at Charac – said the prospect of working with the company is “exciting”.

How does the app work?

The app enables independent pharmacies to hold consultations over the phone or via video link and manage prescriptions digitally through what it refers to as its patient relationship management system, which is NHS-approved.

Charac “complements what pharmacists [already] do in our communities”, the company said. By using the app, pharmacists will be able “to focus on providing new, revenue generating […] services” to their local communities, it claimed.

Patients, meanwhile, can use Charac “to manage existing repeat prescriptions, message their pharmacist, schedule future activities such as annual flu vaccinations, and browse the various services on offer from their pharmacy”.

Charac’s aim over the next 12 months is “to sign up over 1,000 UK pharmacies” and to extend “its geographic footprint” beyond cities where it is currently in use, which include London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

In garnering further uptake, the company will target “small multiple and independent pharmacies”, it wrote.