Echo launches new service amid massive growth during Covid-19

Echo users can now choose to have their medicine delivered for free or to collect items from over 1,000 LloydsPharmacy branches across England.

Echo, the digital pharmacy backed by LloydsPharmacy, has launched a new service that allows patients to order prescriptions and choose to either have their medicine delivered for free or collect from their local pharmacy.

Patients who select ‘collect’ option will benefit from Echo’s features, including timely reminders when to order and take their medicines and the facility to organise prescriptions for the entire family.

Commenting on the new service, Echo’s CEO Benoit Machefer said: “This represents a key milestone in Echo’s mission to simplify pharmacy. Since day one, we’ve wanted to give our patients the option of collecting medicine at their local pharmacy. This is because life is complicated, and community pharmacy has benefits that we simply cannot replicate online.

“Until now patients have had to make a hard choice between online and community pharmacy. As of today, we’re offering them the best of both worlds, adapting to their changing needs, and working with our pharmacy colleagues across the country to provide convenience and care.”

The launch follows a successful trial and gives patients the convenience of managing their medicine online, with the reassurance of support from their local pharmacy team.

Toby Anderson, CEO at McKesson UK, which acquired Echo in 2019, said: “The evolution of pharmacy has been a slow process, but the last eight months have demonstrated the need to innovate at pace. We know our patients value choice and convenience.

“By working side-by-side with community pharmacy to provide a seamless digital to physical experience, we believe we can give patients the pharmacy experience that best meets their needs, whilst giving in-store pharmacists more time to focus on the face-to-face services only they can provide.

“Echo’s growth this year is testament to the accessible and meaningful care they provide to patients. McKesson continue to invest in its expansion whilst exploring how we can make its propriety technology and solutions available to all our customers within the complex regulatory landscape.

“We don't believe that the future of pharmacy is online or remote only, but we do believe that online pharmacy has an important role to play as an integrated part of the sector.”

This year, Echo has grown by 336 per cent in response to Covid-19, and currently works with over 9,500 GP surgeries to support 300,000 NHS patients.