The service enables users to order and track their repeat prescriptions from partnering local pharmacies via its mobile application, which is listed on the NHS Apps Library. The service also enables users to manage their prescription medication and receive active support from local pharmacies and healthcare providers that utilize its software platforms.
The Healthera app allows patients to order repeat prescriptions from their general practitioners and select a Healthera partner pharmacy from which to collect or receive home delivery for medicines. Patients can message their chosen pharmacies over secure and private channels. The app also allows patients to set medication reminders for themselves and other dependants.For pharmacies, Healthera offers a web-based patient customer relationship management system that offers pharmacies full visibilities of the repeat prescription ordering process and secure two-way messaging, delivering updates of repeat prescription approvals to patients. The service also allows pharmacies to promote and schedule services like flu vaccinations and public health education sessions. Additionally, Healthera offers a software platform for NHS clinical commissioning groups. They operate Prescription Ordering Direct schemes where patients can order their prescriptions directly with teams of NHS medicines coordinators via the app, while choosing local pharmacies where prescriptions can be sent.
Healthera was founded in 2015 by Quintus Liu, Martin Hao, and Jin Dai, then students at the University of Cambridge, who sought to build a solution for improving nationwide medication adherence in the United Kingdom. Following an undisclosed seed round of funding backed by Cambridge Enterprise and angel investors in August 2016, the company launched its mobile application platform publicly in September of the same year, having worked variously with pharmacies, pharmacy system providers, and clinical commissioning groups under the NHS.
From 2016 to 2017, Healthera was awarded with two developmental contracts under the SBRI program of NHS England to ease pressures on existing structures of urgent and emergency care services. These contracts were reportedly worth up to £1 million.
In late 2017, Healthera Ltd. entered an 18-month partnership deal with Cegedim Rx with the goal of fully integrating the patient experience in community pharmacies.
In August 2018, the company successfully concluded a £3 million ($3.8 million) Series A funding round led by Accelerated Digital Ventures.
By then, the company had established its headquarters at St. John's Innovation Centre, Cambridge, and employed over 15 employees. At the time, the company provided its software services to over 800 pharmacies and GPs across the UK.In January 2019, Healthera became the only Cambridge-based company chosen to join the Upscale program, helping companies navigate the challenges of expansion and growth.
Since October 2018, Healthera has been working with the NHS clinical commissioning group of Dartford, Gravesham, and Swanley to implement their prescription ordering direct, or POD, service. Through this, the POD service has been made available to 140,000 patients and 60 pharmacies in this region. According to the then-Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation for the clinical commissioning group of Dartford, Gravesham, and Swanley, Diar Fattah, they aimed to reduce medicines wastage through non-adherence using the scalable initiative of Healthera. The clinical commissioning group believed this endeavour would save hundreds to thousands of working hours ordering medicines on the phone, and reduce the estimated £3 million of wasted medicines annually.
As a result of this, Healthera has been seen in a controversial light by Local Pharmaceutical Committees in the CCG, saying that the decision to adopt the Healthera app service was not a mutually agreed decision, and that it would take away prescriptions from pharmacists. Further concerns come with the full integration of the CCG in the Healthera system, which would disallow any patient's previous arrangement for prescription management.
