NHS Profile Manager
Published on: 1st November 2021 | Updated on: 26th October 2023
NHS Profile Manager is a digital tool which went live in June 2022.
Community pharmacy contractors previously updated two different NHS service information updaters:
- The NHS website profile editor and
- Directory of Services (DoS) Profile Updater.
The NHS Profile Manager replaces the two older information updaters, thereby, preventing contractors from having to input the same information onto two different platforms.
Community Pharmacy England and the Community Pharmacy IT Group (CPITG), have long requested that the two current NHS service information updaters be merged, and development of the new NHS Profile Manager has been a joint effort between various stakeholders, including, Community Pharmacy England and NHS England.
The new profile manager will not only save contractors precious time, but should also be more accurate.
Access the NHS Profile Manager
NHS Digital has published a series of NHS Profile Manager video tutorials onto YouTube for pharmacy teams to refer to.
NHS Digital reviewed all of the existing users of the NHS website profile editor during 2022 and any users who were not using an email address ending with nhs.net received instructions on how to update their login details. This helped all contractors to ensure that they were prepared for the launch of NHS Profile Manager.
The benefits of the new profile manager tool include:
- Reduced duplicative data entry by pharmacy teams.
- Increased accuracy and consistency on the UEC DoS and NHS UK.
- Reduced risk that information across NHS website and DoS could inadvertently diverge.
- Improvement in the quality of information being given to 111 Telephony, 111 Online and NHS Service Finder.
Recent / upcoming developments planned:
- Addition of being able to confirm that your pharmacy is a ‘Pharmacy Palliative Care Medication Stockholder’. This had assisted with aspects of the 2022/23 Pharmacy Quality Scheme which closed earlier.
- NHS Profile Manager listings for “NHS Blood Pressure Check Service” (Hypertension case-finding service) and “Pharmacy Contraception Service“. Note: In October 2023 NHS website also launched a Hypertension case-finding service finder that allows healthcare professionals and patients to search for and find a pharmacy that offers the Hypertension case-finding service.
- Addition of the ‘facilities’ module.
- A review of how services are listed and which ones are listed
NHS Profile Manager update: Online flu vaccination booking details can be added to your NHS website profile
Community pharmacy teams which are providing NHS flu vaccinations will now have the ability to update NHS Profile Manager with the details of their patient facing booking system. This could reduce incoming patient phone calls making enquiries to arrange flu vaccination appointments.
You can now promote your pharmacy’s online booking details on your NHS website profiles.
Whether you take online bookings through your own website and your own appointments system (or you can also confirm if you use the NHS National Booking Service systems – although there may be limitations about which pharmacies will be using this).
The public will be able to book online from your NHS website profile between 1st September 2023 and 31st March 2024.
There will also be a new flu vaccination service finder on the NHS website.
How to add your details to your profiles
Sign in to the NHS Profile Manager and follow these steps.
- Select a pharmacy profile.
- Select ‘Services’ on the ‘Manage your profile’ page.
- Select which ‘Seasonal flu vaccination service’ you offer – either at-risk, not at-risk, or both – if you have not already done so.
- Select ‘Extra service details’ after you have confirmed your services.
- Select each of your seasonal flu vaccination services.
- Select if you use your own website’s online booking address or you use the NHS National Booking Service (NBS) for each seasonal flu vaccination service
For bookings on your own website, make sure to add the direct internet address that the public use to make their booking, rather than for an information page or homepage.
Further information
Below are the service listing options as of September 2023:
Help and advice services
Minor Ailment Service (NHS)
New Medicine Service (NHS)
Vaccination services
Seasonal flu vaccination service: at-risk groups (NHS)
Seasonal flu vaccination service: not at-risk groups (paid-for)
Travel clinic (paid for)
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 05 to 11 years
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 12 to 15 years
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 16 to 17 years
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 18 to 64 years
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 65 to 74 years
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service: ages 75 or older
Contraception services
Condom supply (NHS)
Emergency contraception (NHS)
Emergency contraception (paid-for)
NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service
Healthy living services
Health Check (paid-for)
NHS Health Check
Stop smoking service (NHS)
Stop smoking service (paid-for)
Stop smoking voucher service (NHS)
Weight management (NHS)
Weight management (paid-for)
Screening and test services
Alcohol screening and intervention service (NHS)
Chlamydia screening and treatment (NHS)
Chlamydia screening and treatment (paid-for)
NHS Blood Pressure Check Service
Pregnancy testing (NHS)
Pregnancy testing (paid-for)
Type 2 diabetes screening (NHS)
Dispensing services
Appliance dispensing (prescription charges apply)
Appliance use review service (NHS)
Mobile app to manage repeat prescriptions
Prescription delivery service
SMS repeat prescription reminders
Stoma appliance customisation service (NHS)
Community pharmacy services
Appointment booking available for consultations
Appointment booking for consultations not required
Inhaler recycling
Multi-lingual staff
Needle and syringe exchange
Other health professionals onsite
Private consultation room
The NHS Profile Manager team are looking for NHS website pharmacy editors to take part in a short research study, to help improvements for the NHS Profile Manager.
An online exercise can be performed to provide feedback. The exercise would take around 15 minutes to complete. You would need to use a computer or a laptop with a built-in microphone to take part in the exercise.
Distance selling (internet) pharmacies (DSPs) don’t need to use NHS Profile Manager.
Making changes to NHS website: DSP teams can contact the NHS website helpdesk to change NHS website profiles: nhs.uk/contact-us/nhs-website-profile-feedback. The NHS website DSP pharmacy profiles currently inlcude links to websites, pharmacy names, and telehone contact details.
DSPs making changes to DoS: DSP teams
Q. How can I get support with a problem with the NHS Profile Manager?
Email support can be obtained from the NHS website and NHS Profile Manager teams, by emailing nhswebsite.servicedesk@nhs.net.
Q. When was the NHS Profile Manager released?
The tool went live in June 2022.
Q. How will I login to the new tool?
You will be able to login using your personal NHSmail account and will connect this to the pharmacy’s NHS Profile Manager.
Q. Will I be able to use the tool if I do not have a personal NHSmail account?
No.
Q. I do not yet have a personal NHSmail account (linked to the pharmacy shared NHSmail box) and would like to set this up, how can I do so?
See the ‘NHSmail personal accounts: creation and linking’ section of Community Pharmacy England’s NHSmail webpage.
Q. Will larger pharmacy organisations be able to continue the mass-updating process?
Yes, the new tool will include Application Programming Interface (API) compatibility and larger pharmacy organisations will be able to continue updating via that route but some changes to the process may be added.
The nhs.uk team has said it will provide multiples with updates about the development of the API. The API is expected to be reformed given the changes with NHS Profile Manager, DoS and the NHS website.
Note that if multiples do use the API to make changes (e.g. to hours), it is still possible for a staff member at a pharmacy branch or head office to overwrite the change by using NHS Profile Manager. Therefore pharmacy multiples will wish to consider their internal processes and communications so that the updates are made in theway expected by them.
Q. How many people from my pharmacy can use NHS Profile Manager?
Anybody with NHSmail can access the NHS Profile Manager. Up to ten staff members can sign-up to get access to personal NHSmail. The NHS Profile Manager features a ‘login with NHSmail’ option for ease of sign-up. It is recommended that muti persons can access the NHS Profile Manager.
Q. Can Distance Selling Pharmacy (DSPs) contractors use NHS Profile Manager?
Distance Selling Pharmacies’ profiles listed on NHS website differ from brick and mortar pharmacy profile listings. At present, Distance Selling Pharmacies cannot use NHS Profile Manager. There is advice on the NHS website webpage and the Dos webpage about how they can update their profiles.
Return to the Pharmacy IT hub; Databases; or IT a-z index
For more information on this topic please email it@cpe.org.uk
