Order a Repeat Prescription

If you forget to obtain a prescription for repeat medication and thus run out of important medicines, you may be able to get help from your Pharmacy. Under the Urgent Provision of Repeat Medication Service, Pharmacists may be able to supply you with a further cycle of a previously repeated medicine, without having to get a prescription from your GP. 

If you have run out of important medication, telephone your usual Pharmacy to check that they offer this service; if they don’t, they may either direct you to another Pharmacy who does provide it, or ask you to phone 111 where you can request details of a local Pharmacy that provides the service.

You must then take with you to the relevant Pharmacy, proof of both your identification and of your medication (for example, your repeat prescription list or the empty box which should have your details printed on it). Please note that controlled drugs and antibiotics are not provided through this service, you will need to ring 111 for these.

If you receive stoma products from your Pharmacy or other supplier and/or receive items such as continence products, please ensure you have sufficient supplies as you may encounter difficulties in obtaining these over Bank Holidays, or when the Surgery is closed.

If you need help with NHS costs or need to find out if you can get free prescriptions please click the button below for further information.

• Don’t run out of your medicines – please allow at least 3 working days when ordering your repeat prescription
• Don’t hoard medicines at home – if you have unused medicines please take them to your pharmacy for safe disposal
• Please order only the items that you require – you don’t need to order every item on your repeat list every time. This will help to reduce wastage
• If there are items on your repeat slip that you are no longer taking – please tell the practice so that they can be taken off
• If you are unsure how to take any of your medicines please ask your GP or pharmacist
• Remember to check your repeat prescription slip to see if you need to make a Medication Review appointment
• Please refrain from requesting medicines that can be purchased over the counter.

You can post your prescription slip or written request to us at the Practice. You must include a stamped addressed envelope for return by post if you will not be able to pick up your prescription from the Surgery (please allow extra time for any possible delays with the postal service).

You can order in person by returning the right-hand half of a previous prescription for the required medications, or by submitting a handwritten request.

We do not accept requests for repeat prescriptions by telephone. This prevents dangerous errors being made and leaves the telephone lines free for urgent matters.

When you are discharged from Hospital you should normally receive seven days supply of medication.

On receipt of your discharge medication, which will be issued to you by the Hospital, please contact the Surgery to provide them with this information before your supply of medication has run out.

Hospital requests for change of medication will be checked by a prescribing clinician first, and if necessary a prescribing clinician will provide you with a prescription on request. 

The Doctors at the Practice regularly review the medication you are taking. This may involve changes to your tablets and is in accordance with current Health Authority policies. Please be reassured that this will not affect your treatment. We may sometimes call you in for a medication review and this may involve blood tests. It is very important that you attend these appointments, as it keeps you safe whilst taking medication.

Non-repeat prescriptions, known as ‘acute’ prescriptions are medicines that have been issued by the Doctor but not added to your repeat prescription records. This is normally a new medication issued for a trial period, and may require a review visit with your Doctor prior to the medication being added onto your repeat prescription records.

Some medications are recorded as acute as they require to be closely monitored by the Doctor. Examples include many anti-depressants, drugs of potential abuse or where the prescribing is subject to legal or clinical restrictions or special criteria. If this is the case with your medicine, you may not always be issued with a repeat prescription until you have consulted with your Doctor again.

A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

Repeat medication requests will be processed in 3 working days.

The practice receives a large number of urgent medication requests for items which are not clinically urgent. Urgent requests are those needed to prevent you from becoming seriously ill and not those which have been ordered late. It is your responsibility to ensure that your prescription request is ordered in plenty of time. Many medications can be safely missed for a few days and in order to optimise access to the clinical team, the practice has a policy for urgent requests.

Urgent medications include:

Insulin, medications for treating epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and asthma. Adrenaline injector pens, palliative care medications, anticoagulants, long term steroids, antipsychotics, and medicines to prevent transplanted organ rejection. 

Medicines outside of this list are not considered clinically urgent and we ask that you allow 3 working days for completion. This decision has been made by the doctors and the reception staff are not able to amend this. Please respect them.
If you feel you still require a prescription the same day it will be passed to the emergency doctor on call. The doctor will be dealing with urgent patient care and prioritises their work. You will normally therefore need to return later in the day to collect the prescription and, if safe to provide, it will be be available by 6pm that day. For safety reasons they may only be able to issue a reduced quantity.

Urgent requests are monitored and recorded in your medical record in order to help us assist you to manage your medication better. Repeat offenders will be pulled up on their non compliance with this policy.