The NHS website

Pharmacy owners can verify or update their NHS website pharmacy profile using NHS Profile Manager.

Since back in 2020, and onwards, the NHS Terms of Service have required pharmacy owners to ensure that:

• their pharmacy profile is complete and accurate; and
• the information is verified or updated at least once per financial quarter.

The NHS financial quarters are:

• 1st April to 30th June;
• 1st July to 30th September;
• 1st October to 31st December; and
• 1st January to 31st March.

Each time a pharmacy profile is updated or verified, this creates a record. NHS England can use this record as evidence that the profile has been checked.

Pharmacy owners can also register to receive email alerts when patient feedback is published on their pharmacy profile, so they can respond promptly.

There are two types of access that pharmacies can request:

• Web editor access
  This allows a user to update editable information on a pharmacy profile, such as opening hours and services.
• Comment administrator access
  This alerts a user when moderated patient feedback is published and allows them to submit a response, subject to moderation.

Pharmacy owners can decide whether:

• one member of staff performs both roles; or
• different staff members hold each role.

More than one staff member can be registered for each role, and one person can manage more than one pharmacy profile.

Apply for editing access

Please note: NHS Profile Manager requires the use of an nhs.net email account.

Automating NHS website profile updates

An Application Programming Interface (API) is available to automate updates to NHS website pharmacy profiles. This may be helpful for pharmacy owners who manage multiple pharmacy profiles.

Rather than entering information manually, the API allows pharmacy systems to connect directly to the NHS website and update profile information automatically.

For more information about the API, email the NHS website service desk and request a call‑back from the Syndication team. Please:

• include ‘Pharmacy Organisation API’ in the subject line; and

provide contact details for the person leading this work.

A pharmacy profile includes:

• organisational name;
• address;
• opening hours, including bank holidays, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday;
• facilities, such as car parking;
• services provided, such as flu vaccination;
• telephone number; and
• website address.

Logging in

• Go to nhs.uk.
• Select ‘Profile editor login’ in the footer.
• Enter your email address and password.
• Choose the pharmacy profile you want to edit.

All edits are logged. These records act as evidence that the profile has been kept up to date.

NHS England receives quarterly data showing which pharmacy owners have verified or updated their profiles. This information is used for contractual monitoring.

Temporary closures and public holiday opening hours

Pharmacy profiles must show the hours during which pharmaceutical services are provided, including core and supplementary hours.

Any temporary closures must be recorded on the profile.

Pharmacy owners must also enter opening hours for:

• bank holidays;
• Christmas Day;
• Good Friday; and
• Easter Sunday.

This is done by adding entries under ‘Public holidays and other special days’.

If no hours are entered for these days, the system will default to normal opening hours. This may result in incorrect information being displayed and could be treated by NHS England as a breach of Terms of Service.

NHS England uses public holiday opening hours entered in pharmacy profiles to plan service provision. If these hours change after quarterly validation, pharmacy owners must:

• update the NHS website profile; and
• inform their NHS England regional team.

Distance selling pharmacies are listed separately on the NHS website under ‘Internet pharmacies’.

These profiles currently include:

• pharmacy name;
• telephone number; and
• website address.

Distance selling pharmacies should use their own websites to provide full service information.

Since back in 2024 and onwards, distance selling pharmacy owners have been updating some data within their profiles using NHS Profile Manager.

Find out more in the distance selling pharmacy section of Keeping pharmacy profile information up to date.

Patients can leave feedback by:

• selecting ‘Leave review’ on a pharmacy profile; or
• using the ‘Reviews and ratings’ tab.

Patients answer a recommendation question and can leave free‑text comments. All comments are moderated before publication.

Pharmacy right of reply

Pharmacy owners can register for comment administrator access to receive alerts and respond to feedback. Responses appear below the original comment.

How to respond

• Comment administrators receive an email alert titled ‘NHS website: content published’.
• Follow the link in the email to access ‘Organisation response’.
• Log in using your assigned email address and password.
• Select ‘Enter a response’.
• Responses can be up to 2,000 characters.
• Submitted responses are moderated before publication.

Safeguards

• All comments are moderated.
• Abusive, discriminatory or unlawful comments are removed.
• Individual staff members cannot be named.
• Users must provide a verified email address.
• Feedback is not part of the NHS complaints process.

Pharmacy staff must not submit feedback on behalf of patients.

Further information can be found in the NHS website patient feedback terms of use

The NHS website includes service finder tools that help patients find pharmacies offering specific services.

COVID-19 vaccine service finder

NHS website launched a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site finder on the NHS website. This tool within the NHS website helps patients to find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site at a pharmacy.

COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests service finder

NHS website has a Covid-19 service finder option on the NHS website. This tool within the NHS website helps identify pharmacies that offer free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test kits.

Flu vaccine service finder

NHS website launched a flu vaccine service finder option onto the NHS website service finder webpage. This tool within the NHS website will help patients to identify pharmacies within their area that can offer the flu vaccine.

With more patients using online services due to COVID-19, it is important to keep the information on your NHS website pharmacy profile up-to-date.

Your NHS website profile displays whether your pharmacy can offer the flu vaccine this year. You should update your profile if you can no longer offer the service – e.g. because the stocks within your pharmacy become exhausted.

Hypertension case-finding service finder

NHS website launched a service finder that allows healthcare professionals and patients to search for and find a pharmacy that offers the Hypertension case-finding service. The service finder tool explains who is eligible to go to a pharmacy to get their blood pressure checked and can be searched using a postcode, with the nearest pharmacy listed first. Blood pressure conditions pages on the NHS website have also been updated to signpost to the blood pressure pharmacy finder.

All pharmacy owners offering the service should ensure their pharmacy profile on NHS Profile Manager is current and indicates that they provide the service.

Pharmacy Contraception Service finder

A service finder, on the NHS website, lets members of the public and healthcare professionals search for a pharmacy that offers the contraceptive pill without a prescription as part of the Pharmacy Contraception Service. The tool also provides initial information on scenarios where individuals can access a supply at the pharmacy.

The service finder can be searched using a postcode, with the nearest pharmacy listed first.

Pharmacy owners are reminded to ensure that they have included the service in their NHS Profile Manager where they provide the service.

Use the pharmacy contraception service finder

Sexual health service finder

The NHS website has a Sexual health service finder webpage. This tool, which is within the NHS website, will help patients to identify pharmacies within their area that offer sexual health services.

The sexual health service finder is not linked to a pharmacy’s profile on the NHS website. It may therefore contain different information about services that the pharmacy offers. It is not a pharmacy owner requirement to ensure this is up-to-date; however, ensuring it is up-to-date it is beneficial to patients and pharmacy owners themselves.

If a pharmacy owner wants to make changes to the information displaying on the Sexual health services finder for their pharmacy, they would need to email Serco on serviceupdates@serco.com with the required amendments. Serco will then provide this data to NHS England who will upload this to the Sexual health services finder. Generally, if a pharmacy sends their updated information to Serco by the middle of the month, the Sexual health services finder should be updated about two weeks later.

Q. How can I get support with a problem with the NHS website?
You can email the NHS website support team at nhswebsite.servicedesk@nhs.net.

Q. Can I post information about the private services I provide on my NHS website pharmacy profile?
Yes. Pharmacies can include information about both private services and NHS‑funded services on their NHS website profile.

Q. Does the same individual need to act as profile editor and patient feedback comment administrator for a pharmacy?
No. These are separate roles with different logins. The pharmacy owner can decide whether one person or different members of the team manage these tasks.

Q. Is it possible for more than one staff member from the same pharmacy to have profile editing rights?
Yes. More than one person can be set up as a profile editor. For example, a pharmacy owner may want someone at head office and someone in the pharmacy to share responsibility for keeping the profile up to date.

Q. Is it possible to assign more than one staff member patient feedback comment administrator rights (including receiving email alerts)?
Yes. Multiple people can be set up to manage and respond to feedback. For example, a pharmacy owner may want a team member to reply to comments but still receive all feedback alerts themselves.

Q. If there is a change of ownership, how should the new owner register for profile editing and feedback administrator rights?
The new owner should contact the NHS website helpdesk. They will arrange access for the new owner and remove access for the previous owner.

Q. How long do comments remain on the NHS website?
Published comments and ratings remain on the NHS website for two years from the date they are published. After this, they are automatically removed along with any associated ratings.

Q. If there is a change of ownership, will existing patient feedback be removed?
Feedback is usually kept if the pharmacy stays in the same location and keeps the same name. If the pharmacy moves or changes name, the NHS website team will usually remove the feedback or create a new profile. Where feedback is kept, the new owner is advised to explain in the profile that the pharmacy is under new ownership. Any older comments that have not been replied to should be answered to clarify they relate to the previous owner.

Q. Do distance selling pharmacies have an NHS website pharmacy profile?
At present, distance selling pharmacies do not have a full pharmacy profile on the NHS website. Instead, their websites appear in a separate list linked from pharmacy search results. Enhanced profiles for distance selling pharmacies are being developed.

Q. How do I update my pharmacy’s service information on the Sexual health services finder?
The Sexual health services finder is not currently linked to pharmacy profiles on the NHS website. To request changes, email serviceupdates@serco.com with the updated information. Serco passes updates to NHS England for upload. If updates are sent by the middle of the month, they are usually published around two weeks later.