Repeat Prescriptions

The MedicinesDepartment is responsible for handling your repeat prescription requests, ensuring each is forwarded to the pharmacy of your choice and handling any prescription queries you may have, including liaising with your doctors if necessary.

It is surgery policy to issue 28 day prescriptions in accordance with NHS guidelines.

 Ordering

Prescriptions can be ordered in the following ways:

• By bringing your repeat prescription slip to the surgery and posting it in the box

• To order your prescriptions online Systmone online. For this option we would need to issue you with a secure password so please let us know and we will post this out to you.

• If your doctor thinks it is appropriate and safe, your doctor may issue a batch prescription, where you don't have to ask the doctor each time for a repeat prescription. This is suitable for patients who are stable on the medicines. If you would like to know if you are suitable for this then please ask your pharmacist, we will then be in touch with you to put this into place.             .  

Collection

A large majority of our prescriptions are now forwarded directly to your pharmacy of choice you will need to ask the pharmacy when your medicines will be available. If you wish to collect the prescription from reception, we aim to have it ready for you in two working days, whether this is ordered at 9am in the morning or later in the afternoon. A complete list of all the pharmacies that collect from us and prepare the prescription for you is detailed below:

Prescriptions Charges and Exemptions

Extensive exemption and remission arrangements protect those likely to have difficulty in paying charges (NHS prescription and dental charges, optical and hospital travel costs). 

The NHS prescription charge is a flat-rate amount which successive Governments have thought it reasonable to charge for those who can afford to pay for their medicines.  Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) offer real savings for people who need extensive medication.

NHS Charges

These charges apply in England only. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.

If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 14 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a prepayment certificate. 

There is further information about prescription exemptions and fees on the NHS website

In order to ensure that the practice is prescribing in accordance with current recommendations and maximising the use of evidence-based and cost effective treatments for patients registered with us, we constantly review our patient’s prescriptions.

Sometimes, we will switch certain medicines from ‘branded’ more expensive treatments to the generic or unbranded formulation. In the UK, the regulatory body for medicines states that generic medicines must be manufactured to the same high standards and strict quality controls and contain the same active ingredients as the branded equivalents. However, generic formulations are generally more cost effective than the branded products and the Department of Health encourages the prescribing of the majority of medication by its generic name to ensure cost effective use of NHS resources.

If you receive a letter from us regarding these changes and have any questions that cannot be answered by the letter itself, then please feel free to contact us and book an appointment with your doctor regarding the change. It is also a good idea to read the information in the patient information leaflet provided with your unbranded medicine.

Please allow 48 hours, excluding weekends and Bank Holidays, for your request to be processed. Any problems please telephone the surgery.

Electronic Prescriptions

We are now doing electronic prescriptions, this means that there will be no physical prescription printed.

It will all be on our computers, where we can track where your prescriptions are.

You will still get a printed repeat prescription slip to request your prescriptions from a pharmacy of your choice.

YOU MUST STILL REQUEST YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS!

You do not have to use a computer to request them, you can still request them the normal way.

Electronic prescriptions will depend on whether the pharmacy you collection your medication from are also doing electronic prescriptions.

More information about the Electronic Prescription Service, including more common questions, can be accessed on the website at: http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/eps or you can ask a member of staff at any pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor, or at your GP practice for more information.