Digital Signage for Pharmacies — Health Promotion and Queue Management
The Pharmacy Display Opportunity
A community pharmacy serves a unique audience: people who are actively thinking about their health. The 10–20 minutes a patient waits for a prescription to be dispensed is an opportunity to deliver health information, promote relevant products, and build loyalty — if the screens are managed well.
Queue Management and Wait Times
The most practical and highest-impact application is queue management. A ticket system with screen-based call display:
- Calls prescription numbers as they’re ready
- Displays estimated wait time
- Allows pharmacy staff to serve efficiently without calling out
- Reduces the anxiety of not knowing whether you’ve been forgotten
The Alliance integrates with leading pharmacy dispensing systems to trigger call displays automatically when a prescription is ready, without manual intervention from counter staff.
Health Awareness Campaigns
Community pharmacies have a public health role. Digital screens are a natural home for NHS and Public Health England campaigns:
- Flu vaccination season reminders (September–December)
- Blood pressure awareness
- Diabetes risk and prevention
- Mental health signposting (Samaritans, Mind)
- Smoking cessation and stop smoking services
- Medication adherence reminders
The Alliance’s pre-cleared NHS content library includes templates for all major campaign periods, updated each year with the latest guidance.
Product Promotion
Health products — vitamins, supplements, over-the-counter medicines, personal care — are high-margin retail items. Digital screens in the waiting area and near the counter promote:
- Seasonal health products (hay fever in spring, cold and flu in autumn)
- Featured product of the week
- New arrivals
- Loyalty programme offers
Studies show pharmacies using digital screens for product promotion see 15–25% higher sales of featured items compared to shelf position alone.
Prescription Ordering Information
A significant proportion of pharmacy queries relate to ordering and collecting prescriptions. Digital screens that explain the process reduce counter queue time:
- How to order a repeat prescription (NHS app, phone, GP online)
- Prescription collection process
- NHS prescription exemptions and charges
- Prescription delivery service (if available)
Counter Screen
A smaller screen behind the counter, facing the patient, can display:
- The patient’s prescription order status
- Price and payment due
- Drug information leaflets (QR code linking to detailed information)
- Appointment scheduling for pharmacy services (flu vaccination, blood pressure check, medication review)
Compliance and Clinical Governance
Pharmacy digital content must comply with:
- MHRA guidelines on advertising medicinal products (prescription medicines cannot be advertised to the public)
- ASA CAP Code (advertising standards for promoted health products)
- NHS brand guidelines for NHS-related content
- GPhC standards for pharmacy services
The Alliance’s approval workflow ensures content is reviewed before display. Content categories can be locked by an administrator, preventing staff from inadvertently publishing non-compliant content.