Important Information for Patients

Requesting a Prescription

There are two types of prescription medication issue – REPEAT AND ACUTE.

Repeat prescriptions will be issued at the doctor’s discretion and are normally for patients on long-term treatment. 

Acute prescription items are usually prescribed on a one-off or short term basis for a specific acute condition

Prescription requests are usually processed within 48 hours (two working days, excluding weekends and bank holidays). 

Repeat prescriptions are not processed automatically and you must ensure you contact us to re-order.

Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor, nurse practitioner or practice nurse at least once a year to review these regular medications. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.

Repeat prescriptions will normally be issued one month at a time and you must ensure that you give us sufficient notice (at least two working days) to process repeat prescription requests.  Please do not wait for your medicines to run out before reordering and ensure you inform us in plenty of time if you require additional medication for travel or if you are away from home. 

Due to data protection and the risk of error we do not take repeat prescription requests over the telephone.  You can however, do this in person, by fax or by post.

When you receive a prescription for your medication it will have two parts:

1. The left-hand part is given to the pharmacist to keep when your medication is dispensed.

2. The right-hand part is your tear-off slip. You need to keep this to order your repeat medication. Handy Tip – Keep this tear off slip handy on your fridge or attached to your calendar for when you need to reorder.

All the items of medication that are on your tear-off slip are repeat items and you must TICK clearly in the box opposite the items you wish to order.

If an item of medication does not appear on your tear-off slip then it is an ACUTE item and not a REPEAT.  A receptionist must then ask the GP to authorise these each time you request a repeat and you may be asked to see the GP again to review your condition / medication.

Collecting Your Prescription

Your prescription will usually be ready for collection two working days after we have received your request.

  • You can collect your prescription from the surgery in person or you can ask a friend or relative (who must be over 16 years of age).
  • You can use a local pharmacy of your choice to collect your prescription, they may also deliver your medication to you. You must have an agreement with the pharmacy of your choice and inform the surgery before requesting your prescription.

Requests for medication that is not due will only be given in exceptional circumstances.

If you find that your medication runs out at different times and you are ordering more than once a month then please request that your medication synchronised by informing the receptionists.

Before you order your next repeat prescription:

Kindly Stop and Consider – Medicines are extremely expensive:

  • Do I need a supply of all the items on my repeat slip?
  • Am I still taking all of the medication?
  • Am I still taking the prescribed dose? – If the answer is NO then you will need to let the Surgery know so we can review your medication.
  • Am I ordering too early?
  • Do you or are due for a medication review?
  • Is my medication in line? If not, could it be in line with one prescription a month being issued and thereby saving your time and our time?