Prescriptions & Dispensary
Repeat Prescriptions
Patients with ongoing medication currently authorised by your GP or Prescribing Nurse can order their repeat prescriptions by using the following:
- Patient Online Services. The Online Services system remembers which medications you are on and makes requesting repeat prescriptions faster and easier.
- using the tear-off slip attached to their last prescription. Simply tick the items required and forward it to the surgery or their local community pharmacy.
- Website Repeat Prescription Form.
We are unable to accept requests by phone.
Please allow two full working days for routine repeat prescription to be processed that you are currently authorised to receive.
It may take up to 7 working days for the following prescriptions due to the need to review medical notes or have a telephone or face to face consultation with you:
- for an acute prescription.
- where issued previously as a one-off prescription.
- where the repeat series has ended, and a medication review is required.
- where a pill prescription is requested and a pill check with a nurse has not been undertaken that year.
- prescriptions for medication such as methadone.
At the end of a series of repeat prescriptions the GP will need to undertake a medication review PRIOR to reauthorising another series of repeats to ensure that the drug or its dose is still appropriate to your condition. This may include you having to make a telephone or face to face appointment to see the GP. The GP can refuse to prescribe medication if you do not attend a requested medication review.
Dispensing patients (those who we can dispense medications directly to) will be sent a SMS text when their medication is ready to be collected. For other patients who use a local community pharmacy, if you require an update to whether your medication is ready to be collected, please contact the community pharmacy directly and not our Dispensary.
Dispensary
We can dispense directly to patients who live more than a mile (as the crow flies) from a community pharmacy. To see if this applies to you, please use our mapping tool.
Our on-site dispensary is open between 08:30 – 13:00 and 14:30 – 18:00
Contacting the Dispensary
The primary means of contacting the Dispensary is through our website Prescription Question form. A telephone voicemail can be left on 01869 362 944 for prescription queries. The voicemail is checked twice a day and we aim to get back to you with in 3 working days. Please don’t leave any urgent messages on this line.
Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
If you have elected a preferred community pharmacy (Lloyds, Boots etc) to obtain your prescriptions from, we can use EPS – which means that your prescription is sent electronically, saving both time and cost as well as being more convenient for you. Please let your doctor know or use this EPS form.
Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD)
If you use the same medicines regularly you may benefit from using the NHS eRD service. This allows us to pre-authorise a set of repeat prescriptions for a period of time, e.g. 6 months, and means you won’t have to submit a repeat request every time you need more of the same medication.
With your permission to share the relevant information with your chosen pharmacy, this allows us to work closer with them to ensure your medication is ready for you when you need it.
Ask your GP at your next medication review if this will be suitable for you.
Prescription Fees
If you pay for prescriptions, they cost £9.90 per item (from 1st May 2024). You may be eligible for free prescriptions.
Do you pay for prescriptions and have more than 12 a year? Buy an NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate and get all the prescriptions you need for around £2.20 a week.
Medication Reviews
Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor, nurse practitioner or practice nurse as appropriate at least once a year to review these regular medications – a notification for this should appear on your repeat slip. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.
Medicines that Require Monitoring
There are certain medications that require blood test monitoring for example methotrexate, leflunamide etc. Your consultant and GP will have discussed this with you. If you are late or omit a blood test, your GP may not be able to prescribe these medications for safety reasons, so please ensure that you keep up to date with the blood tests required
28 day Prescribing Policy
The Practice supports the policy of prescribing for up to 28 days only at a time (some may be less as appropriate). This is because:
- Many medicines are now packaged in 28-day packs.
- Allows us to co-ordinate the issuing of medication and patient medicine reviews, so saving time for the patient and GP.
- Prescriptions issued on a 28-day basis do not always necessitate an appointment with a GP but does give regular contact with a health professional in case there are any concerns. This ensures patient care is maintained.
- Minimises wastage of medicines
- Exceptions to this policy include HRT and the oral contraceptive pill.
The GP, Prescribing Nurse or Pharmacist will issue a series of repeats for each 28 days, e.g., 6 repeats each for 28 days medication.
Can my GP prescribe extra medication to cover my holiday?
If you need medication for a long-term health condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, you may be able to get an extra supply of medication to cover your time away.
Please note that if you intend to be abroad for 3 months or more, you are not entitled to NHS prescriptions or any other NHS services, so we can only supply a sufficient & reasonable quantity for you to reach your destination and register with a local doctor (usually 2-4 weeks medication). If your period of travel is for under 3 months then we MAY be able to supply medication for the whole of your trip, but this will depend on the nature of their drugs (for example those that require monitoring may not be able to be prescribed).
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Restricted Prescribing List (Over The Counter Treatments)
In the year prior to June 2017, the NHS spent approximately £569 million on prescriptions for medicines which can be purchased over the counter from a pharmacy and other outlets such as supermarkets.
These prescriptions include items for a condition:
- That is considered to be self-limiting and so does not need treatment as it will heal of its own accord;
- Which lends itself to self-care, i.e. that the person suffering does not normally need to seek medical care but may decide to seek help with symptom relief from a local pharmacy and use an over the counter medicine.
These over the counter treatments are usually available at a reasonable cost and and many are a lot cheaper than the cost of a prescription. The list below shows those conditions that are either self limiting or where over the counter medicines should be purchased from your local pharmacy.
Your GP is unable to prescribe medicines in such cases.
For further information – see here.
