Prescriptions

Ordering repeat prescriptions

The easiest ways to order repeat prescriptions are:

• using the NHS website or the NHS App at any time
• using our online system
• using our prescription telephone ordering service called Voice Connect – 01423 802697. This is an automated system that will automatically forward your request onto the surgery for processing and then electronically to your nominated pharmacy. Please contact our Care Navigator team to register and obtain your account details.

These accounts show you all your repeat medicine and dosage and you can choose the ones you need.

OUR CARE NAVIGATORS DO NOT TAKE REPEAT PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS OVER THE TELEPHONE OR VIA EMAIL

Need Help Using Our Digital Services?

Book a Digital Inclusion Session today

• SystemOnline – order prescriptions & view your results
• NHS App – easy access to your records and services
• eConsults – contact your GP team online
• VoiceConnect – ordering prescriptions over the phone

Sessions held every Tuesday – by appointment only – Book you session now at Reception

Collecting your prescription

Your prescription will be sent electronically to the nominated pharmacy of your choice. You need to allow five working days from ordering from the practice to collection from your pharmacy.

Prescriptions are actioned in date order of receiving.  They take up to 72 hours to receive, clinically check, process, authorise and issue. Your pharmacy may take another 48 hours to receive, process, order in medication, dispense and clinically check. 

You will need to nominate your preferred pharmacy by informing us over the phone, at your local pharmacy, or as an online message when ordering your prescription.

Prescriptions not written in English

If you are bringing a prescription or any other document written in a language other than English, please make every effort to also provide a translated version. This will help us to safely prescribe your medication and avoid any delays in processing.

Pharmacy first

Going to your local pharmacy offers an easy and convenient way to get clinical advice on minor health concerns, and now community pharmacies can offer treatment for seven common conditions without patients needing to see a GP, as part of a major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care.

Highly trained pharmacists at more than nine in ten pharmacies can now assess and treat patients for earache, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat, urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64 — without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

Community pharmacy teams are highly-skilled, qualified health professionals who have the right clinical training to give people the health advice they need. Patients don’t need an appointment and private consultation rooms are available. Pharmacy teams can also signpost to other relevant local services where necessary.

Pharmacists have always helped patients, families and carers in their communities stay healthy and are well placed to offer treatment for health conditions. By expanding the services community pharmacies offer, the NHS is aiming to free up GP appointments and give people more choice in how and where they access care.

Don’t wait for minor health concerns to get worse – think pharmacy first and get seen by your local pharmacy team.

For more information, visit nhs.uk/thinkpharmacyfirst

Questions about your prescription

If you have questions about your medicine, your local pharmacists can answer these. They can also answer questions on 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 your common questions.

If you would like to speak to someone at the GP surgery about your prescription phone us on 01482 862 733 during our opening hours.

Medication reviews

For your safety, patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor, practice pharmacist, nurse practitioner or practice nurse at least once a year to review their medications. When this review is due a notification should appear on your repeat slip so please watch out for it and ensure that you book an appropriate appointment as further prescriptions cannot be issued until you have had a review.

Prescription charges

Find out about prescription charges on the NHS website.

What to do with old medicines

Take it to the pharmacy you got it from or bring it in to the surgery. Do not put it in your household bin or flush it down the toilet.

Your Local Community Pharmacists

As qualified healthcare professionals, community pharmacists can offer advice on minor illnesses such as:

• coughs
• colds
• sore throats
• tummy trouble
• aches and pains

They can also advise on medicine that you can buy without a prescription.

You can find a pharmacy on the NHS website.

Many community pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. You do not need an appointment.

Most community pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.

Information for patients requesting diazepam for a fear of flying

The doctors have taken the decision not to prescribe diazepam in cases where there is a fear of flying. There are a number of reasons for this that are set out in the attached document.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines. We have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet – Tel 0203 8131644
Fearless Flyer EasyJet

British Airways – Tel 01252 793250
Flying with confidence

Virgin – Tel 01423 714900
Flying without fear

We recognise that there may be a waiting list for these courses, so if you plan to fly before you are able to complete a course, there is lots of information available online, including tips for reducing anxiety before and during a flight and recommendations for in-flight meditation and mindfulness apps.

Hospital and Community Requests

When you are discharged from hospital you should normally receive 28 days supply of medication.

Specialists will often suggest particular medication at a hospital appointment and ask us to prescribe for you. To ensure your safety we do need to receive written information from the specialist before prescribing. Sometimes a medicine is suggested that is not in our local formulary. There is nearly always a close alternative and specialists are told that we sometimes make suitable substitutions when you are referred. We will always let you know if this is the case.

Over the Counter Medicines

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. Further information can be found here – https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/medicines-information/