Prescriptions

Requesting your repeat medicines

Medicines

If you take medicine often, you will usually have a repeat prescription. New medicines or those given for a short time will not be on your repeat list. You must ask for them separately.

Repeat Prescriptions

We suggest using the NHS App or website to ask for repeat prescriptions. You can use it to see if your request is ready. You can also see when we have sent it to the pharmacy to be dispensed. This doesn’t mean it will be available immediately.

Ordering repeat prescriptions

The easiest ways to order repeat prescriptions are:

• Use your NHS account (NHS website or NHS App). This is what we prefer.
• If you are signed up, you can use Patient Access online.

These will show all your repeat medicine and how much to take. You can pick the ones you need.

We don’t take repeat prescription requests over the phone. This helps stop mistakes and keeps our phones free for appointments and other questions. But if you need your medicine urgently or in special cases, please call us.

Collecting your prescription

You can usually collect your prescription from the pharmacy five working days after you order it.

The pharmacy may need to order the medicine so it may not be available right away.

You will need to choose a pharmacy to pick it up from. This is called nominating a pharmacy.

You can change your nominated pharmacy at any time:

• On the app or website where you order repeat prescriptions
• At your GP practice
• At any pharmacy that takes repeat prescriptions

Questions about your prescription

Your local pharmacist can answer questions about your medicine. They can also answer questions about medicines you can buy without a prescription. The NHS website has information on how your medicine works, how and when to take it, possible side effects, and answers to common questions.

• Go to Medicines A to Z (nhs.uk)

If you want to speak to someone at the GP surgery about your prescription:

• phone our pharmacist after 10am on 01753 520 917
• fill in our medication query form

Medication reviews

If you have a repeat prescription, we may ask you to come in for a regular check-up. We will contact you if you need to come in for a review or to set up a phone appointment.

Prescription charges

Find out more about prescription charges (nhs.uk).

What to do with old medicines

Take old medicines to the pharmacy where you got them or bring them to the surgery. Do not put them in your bin or flush them down the toilet.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists are trained health workers. They can give advice on minor illnesses like:

• Coughs
• Colds
• Sore throats
• Tummy trouble
• Aches and pains

Pharmacists can suggest treatments for problems that do not need a prescription. These are called over-the-counter medicines.
Some pharmacies have rooms to talk in private. Some can also give prescription medicine for certain problems without you seeing a GP.
Many pharmacies are open late and on weekends. You do not need an appointment, but you can call ahead to ask for one.

Pharmacy First

If it is right for you, we can send you to a pharmacy for a Pharmacy First check-up when you call us.

Shared Care Prescribing

Shared care is when a specialist doctor asks a GP to take over some of a patient’s care, like giving prescriptions. This can only happen if the GP agrees. The GP needs to think about whether it is safe to do so.

If the GP agrees, they will be responsible for the prescriptions they sign. They must explain their decisions and make sure the patient is properly monitored. This is a big responsibility, so the GP needs to be careful when deciding.

The General Medical Council (GMC) says that all doctors who prescribe medication must stay up to date about the medicines they give. They need to know how to spot serious side effects and make sure the right checks are in place.

What Shared Care Means

Shared care is voluntary for GPs. They should think about their own skills and how much work they already have before agreeing. The GP must balance the needs of one patient with the needs of everyone else they look after. Then they can decide if they can take on more work.

Specialist doctors can only hand over care if the GP agrees. This is often forgotten, but it’s important to respect the GP’s ability to work safely within their skills. The practice must be able to handle the extra work of prescribing and monitoring the patient. These are key parts of keeping patients safe.

For more information see our Shared Care policy for Adult ADHD.