How NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service unified medicines information into a single trusted platform

Disjointed information costs the NHS time and safety

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) had four specialist units, Medicines Information, Safety, Procurement, and Quality Assurance, with 17 separate content repositories. This meant staff had to hunt for essential data at the point of need, often under pressure.

Time-critical advice spread across multiple sources

Over-reliance on phone calls and repeated consultations for answers

Frequent delays, duplicated effort, and increased risk of clinical errors

Guidance communicated point-to-point rather than written once and shared widely

Clinical teams urgently needed a single source of consolidated, trusted medicines guidance to reduce errors, save time, and deliver safer care.

A vision for a one-stop Medicines Platform

The goal was simple,  create a central online hub.

A single trusted source

Unified specialist pharmacy guidance delivered with a consistent NHS brand voice and visual identity for trust

Instant answers at critical moments

Real-time searchable content and tools for supply alerts, stability guidance, and monitoring reminders so staff quickly find exactly what they need

Available where clinical teams work

Designed for seamless use on desktop and mobile, ensuring frontline staff always have guidance at hand

This wouldn’t just improve efficiency, it would reduce errors, improve safety, and save time for frontline staff.

How we delivered the SPS website

Discover

We began by diving deep into how medicines information was actually used across the NHS.

Ran detailed user interviews with both stakeholders and frontline end-users
Reviewed and mapped 17 separate content repositories, identifying gaps and overlaps
Captured and defined key user journeys and user needs clearly and specifically
Conducted interaction design sessions using wireframes and card-sorting exercises to shape information structure and usability

This robust discovery work ensured that every decision moving forward was rooted in real-world clinical and pharmacy workflows.

Define

With deep insight into user needs and existing pain points, we translated our findings into a clear plan for delivery.

We focused on creating the core elements that would make the platform both usable and scalable:

Visual identity: Built a unified brand look and feel to bring cohesion across previously fragmented services
Design vision: Created a clean, trustworthy visual interface that aligned with NHS standards
User pathways: Mapped journeys for pharmacists, procurement leads, and clinicians under pressure
Information architecture: Structured the site to reflect real clinical search patterns, reducing clicks to critical guidance
Structured backlog and delivery plan: Prioritised features based on user impact and clinical importance, ready for phased development

This set the foundations for building a single, reliable, accessible source for all medicines information.

Develop

We brought the platform to life through a focused, phased build that prioritised stability, clarity, and performance.

Design system: Developed a reusable component library to ensure consistent styling and interaction across every page
Responsive UI: Built a user interface optimised for both desktop and mobile, so pharmacists and clinicians could access guidance wherever they were
Search and filtering tools: Delivered intuitive search functionality and filters designed around the way users think and work
Content management system: Built a CMS that made publishing guidance simple, standardised, and scalable
Cloud infrastructure: Deployed to secure, NHS-aligned cloud services with robust uptime and protection
Performance optimisation: Implemented smart caching, CDN distribution, and speed tuning to ensure fast access even under peak demand

The result was a fast, user-friendly, and reliable platform, ready to support time-sensitive clinical decision-making at scale.

Deliver

With the platform built, we moved into deployment and refinement in live environments.

Pilot launch: Rolled out the platform to NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service teams for real-world use and feedback
Task-based user testing: Conducted structured testing across high-impact areas including medicines shortages tools, therapeutic drug monitoring, site navigation, and search
Training and onboarding: Provided tailored onboarding and CMS support to content owners and contributors
Content migration: Unified guidance from 17 fragmented repositories into a structured, searchable knowledge base
Feedback and iteration: Used analytics and user insight to refine structure, speed, and search performance
Ongoing partnership: Transitioned into a joint mode of long-term support and enhancement, a multi-year engagement focused on continuous improvement and new capabilities

This wasn’t a one-off delivery. It became an evolving platform that continues to grow with the needs of the NHS.

Scaling medicines expertise across the NHS

The platform didn’t just modernise SPS. It transformed how medicines guidance is delivered and used across the NHS.

User Reach

Half a million monthly active users during the COVID-19 pandemic was a clear sign that the platform became the go-to source for trusted medicines guidance
Clinical teams from across the NHS used the site daily to make fast, safe decisions during high-pressure periods

Clinical Value

Access to real-time tools like shortages alerts, therapeutic drug monitoring, and stability guidance, all in one place
Faster, clearer answers reduced clinical risk and supported more confident decisions
Improved search and structure helped surface guidance exactly when needed

Operational Efficiency

17 fragmented repositories replaced with one unified platform
SPS content teams now publish once, share everywhere, cutting down duplicated enquiries
CMS built to support rapid content creation, allowing specialists to respond quickly to national events and new clinical questions

What could your platform change?

If you’re tackling complex workflows, fragmented systems, or high-stakes content delivery, we can help.

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