Repeat Prescriptions

Where appropriate, patients on regular medication may have their prescriptions repeated without seeing their doctor. The advisability of a repeat prescription and the number of repeats to be authorised is decided by your doctor who will review your medication at appropriate intervals.

Prescriptions will only be processed up to 7 days before the prescription is due. If you require a prescription earlier than this, please attach a note to the repeat slip or add a comment to your online request.

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account. Patients using the postal service should allow longer; please note this doesn’t include the processing time for your nominated pharmacy.

Ways of ordering your repeat medication

• By using our online services, SystmOnline. If you are not registered to use this service, please register for our online services.
• In person – tick off the medication you require on your repeat prescription list and drop it in to the reception. If the surgery is closed, you can put it through the letterbox. If you don’t have your printed list, you can write what you need on a piece of paper.
• By post – please address the envelope to ‘Bacon Road reception’ at the surgery at which you are registered (enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you wish the prescription to be sent back to you).
• NHS App – you can see your available medicines, request a new repeat prescription and choose a pharmacy for your prescriptions to be sent to.

Owing to the risks involved, the practice cannot accept telephone requests for repeat prescriptions.

Prescriptions for medication that you may have had before but are not on a repeat prescription cannot be issued routinely as above. You may request it by telephoning or in person but it must be authorised by your doctor.

We are receiving a considerable number of requests from patients for more than their normal supply of medication.

Please do not order more medications than you need as we will be unable to provide double issues or medications that are not yet due.

Collection

You will be able to collect your prescription from the surgery or you can specify a pick up point at a local pharmacy.

Please note that if you want to collect your prescription from a local pharmacy, you must register with that pharmacy first by completing an application form at the chemist.

If you have genuine physical difficulty in collecting your prescriptions, please speak to the dispenser who may be able to arrange delivery by a local pharmacist.

Please speak to your nominated pharmacy regarding delivery of your medications.

Medication reviews

The practice aims to review all patients on repeat medications at least once a year in the same month as their birthday. You may, of course, see a doctor or nurse at any other time if you need to, but we will always aim to coordinate your number of repeat prescriptions to run out in your birthday month to prompt review.

Hospital Discharge

If you have been discharged from hospital or have been seen in a clinic at the hospital and they are requiring a new medication/change of medication for you, we cannot process this until we have a clinic letter. If you bring in a letter with the medication details we can get the medication sorted.

It will take 2 working days to process like all other prescription orders.

Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

The electronic prescription service (EPS) is an NHS service. It gives you the chance to change how your GP sends your prescription to the place you choose to get your medicines or appliances from.