Prescriptions

Methods of ordering your Repeat Prescriptions

If you regularly take a prescribed medication/medications, you will be given a repeat prescription request form. About one week before you need more treatment, please send us your request using one of the methods listed below:

  • Via the NHS App – Owned and run by the NHS, the NHS App is the most simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. The NHS App is available now on iOS and Android.
  • NHS Online Login – You can view your current repeat medication and order the items you require. This is for patients who have a NHS login.
  • Online SystemClick here to use our online system
  • Online FormClick here to use our online form
  • By email – [email protected]
  • By repeat slip or on paper – You can put your request in on paper by dropping it through the letterbox.
  • Please note that we do not take prescription requests by telephone.
  • Please respect our staff, as it is your responsibility to ensure that your repeat prescription request is ordered in plenty of time.
  • Nominated Pharmacy – Your GP can send your prescription straight to a pharmacy/chemist electronically. If you already have a nominated pharmacy set up, all of your prescriptions will be sent there by default until you request to have this changed by emailing us or changing it yourself on the NHS App.

Non-urgent advice: Patient Notice

Repeat prescriptions will be ready in 48 working hours from your request. Please note if your prescription request is NOT on your repeat prescription your request will take longer to process and the doctor may wish to speak with you. Delays may also occur if your medication request is different from what your doctor has prescribed for you.

We will return your prescription to you by post if a stamped addressed envelope is provided.

HRT Pre-Payment Certificate

From the 1 April, the Government is launching the HRT Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) to reduce prescription costs for women receiving Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

The HRT PPC will be available to buy in one single payment online at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/hrt-ppc, or in-person at some pharmacies. You can call 0300 330 2089 for help and support.

Before buying an HRT PPC, you should check if:

About pharmacists

As qualified healthcare professionals, 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.

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

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

Emergency Prescription Requests

Emergency prescription request are requests for medication which you need within 24 hours to prevent you becoming severely unwell. Emergency medications include; epileptic medication, insulin, inhalers for lung conditions, emergency contraception and Epipen for anaphylaxis.

Emergency prescription requests are not requests for medication which have been ordered late. You should allow 48 working hours for routine repeat prescription requests. Please respect our staff, as it is your responsibility to ensure that your repeat prescription request is ordered in plenty of time.

Medication Reviews

Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor at least once a year to review these regular medications and notification should appear on your repeat slip. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account.

Prescription charges

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

  • Prescription (per item): £9.65
  • 3-month PPC: £31.25
  • 12-month prepayment certificate (PPC): £111.60

If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 15 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC.

Private Prescriptions

Private prescriptions are medication which your private Doctor has recommended for you on a private prescription. A private prescription is not written on an official NHS prescription and so is not paid for by the NHS. The cost of a private prescription is met wholly by the patient and is dictated by the cost of the medicine plus the pharmacists charge for supplying it. A prescription is a legal document for which the doctor, who has issued and signed it, is responsible for. Therefore, a NHS doctor cannot convert a private prescription to an NHS prescription. A doctor you see privately can’t issue an NHS prescription.

A GP in the surgery at which you are registered can only provide a private prescription if the drug is available on the NHS and has been requested by an NHS team.

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.