On occasion you may see a note on your repeat prescription slip informing you that you are due a medication review.
This is an opportunity for a GP (or in some cases our practice nurse) to check that your medication is still the best treatment for your condition and that the appropriate monitoring and health checks have been carried out. If you have been taking the same medication for many years and your condition is stable it may be possible to conduct your medication review as a telephone consultation.
Please ensure that you book the appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to future prescriptions. If you receive treatment from a specialist, the GP will still require you to attend for a medication review if your prescriptions are supplied by the surgery. The reason for this is that the prescribing GP holds clinical responsibility for the medication issued. While repeating medication without seeing the doctor is convenient for patients, we still have to ensure you are using your medications safely. Each request is reviewed individually.
Please do not assume that your request will be granted automatically. We are sorry if this causes any inconvenience.
The surgery operates a 28 day prescribing policy following NHS guidelines.
The NHS recognises that a 28-day repeat prescribing interval makes the best possible balance between patient convenience, good medical practice and minimal drug wastage.
The benefits of 28-day prescribing include:
- Reducing the amount of medicine which is currently wasted when your doctor stops or changes your medicine.
- Reducing the potential for error when your medication is changed in the middle of supply.
- Increased safety as you will not have multiple containers of the same medicine meaning it is likely to reduce the number of mistakes made by, for example, elderly patients, and it will also reduce the risk of potential poisoning of young children.
- Many medicines are supplied in 28-day packs, allowing you to check that you have taken your medication each day. You will start and finish the container of each medicine on the same day of the week, meaning it will be easier for your doctor to review all of the repeat medicines you are taking and to see when you have not ordered your medicines.
- Many patients have to make several visits each month to their surgery because they have run out of their medicines at different times. With 28-day prescribing you should finish your medicines all at the same time, meaning you will only have to visit the surgery once a month to collect your repeat medicines. It will also reduce the likelihood of needing to make an emergency request if you run out of medicine.
- Financial losses due to medicines waste represent a direct loss to patient care. Since 28-day prescribing reduces medicines waste, this in turn has a positive impact on patient care.
Most patients collecting repeat prescriptions do not pay prescription charges; therefore there will be no difference to these patients in terms of cost due to 28-day prescribing. If you do have to pay prescription charges, then it may be beneficial for you to buy a Prescription Prepayment Certificate especially if you are taking 3 or more medicines on a regular basis
Ask your pharmacist for more information or contact the NHS Business Services Authority on 08458500030 or visit The NHS Business Services Authority
NHS Prescriptions can be given for a maximum of three months at a time if you are travelling.
This means you will have sufficient medication to enable you to make alternative arrangements at your destination.
Urgent Prescriptions
We aim to get these prescriptions processed as soon as possible. Providing stock is available these will likely be ready for collection on the same day or the following day.
Acute Medication
Providing stock is available these will be ready to collection soon after the prescription has been issued. If stock is not available and needs ordering, we should be providing you with a time frame for collection.
If you are exempt from paying for prescriptions, please provide evidence of your exemption when collecting your medication.
Visit NHS Prescription Charges to find out what the current NHS prescription charges are, including annual pre-paid certificates and information on help with paying for NHS prescriptions