The National Pharmacy Association has announced a new long-term partnership with Charac, a digital platform tailored to community pharmacy services.

A statement earlier this week said the agreement was aimed at helping pharmacies to improve efficiency and deliver more clinical services by offering repeat prescription ordering and consultation booking through the Charac app, as well as helping them to access patient records, consultations and prescriptions.

“The NPA and Charac will collaborate with members of the NPA and beyond to accelerate the necessary digital transition of independent community pharmacies, particularly given their importance to poorer communities and less advantaged individuals at high risk due to potential pharmacy closures,” the statement added.

NPA membership director Simon Tebbutt said: “It is an exciting opportunity to work with a company with the ambition of Charac as one of our trusted partners.

“Charac presented an attractive solution to enable community pharmacies to modernise their platforms, and we look forward to working towards this shared goal.

“It is vital that this gap in the market is filled: digital transformation has accelerated immensely over the last couple of years, and has become a necessity in healthcare.”

Charac founder Santosh Sahu said: “Partnering with the NPA is another massive milestone for Charac and reflects the great strides we are taking in assisting independent community pharmacies.

“We are thrilled to announce our long-term partnership with such a well-respected and influential organisation, particularly at a time where the cost of living crisis, a looming recession, and a stretched NHS have created a perfect storm for the new health secretary.

“Greater recognition from the Department of Health for the vital role that pharmacists play in our health ecosystem is essential and Charac stands ready to alleviate these burdens by digitally empowering pharmacists.”