If you have a condition that needs continued medication, your printed prescription will normally show a medication list on the white (tear-off) side.

The pharmacy will give you this list, and it may be used as a record to order a further supply.

To order your repeat prescription either:

• Use the NHS App (Information can be found here).
• Use Patient Access (click here to go to Patient Access)
• Email us a request at requestprescription@nhs.net (providing your details within the email).
• Tick the items you require on your printed prescription and drop it into our external letterbox, or post it to us.

To ensure accuracy and to try and reduce waiting times on the telephone, we no longer accept medication requests via telephone call unless a patient is housebound and other methods of ordering have not proven to be possible.

Your prescription will normally be ready for you or your designated pharmacy to pick up two working days later. Repeat prescriptions will occasonally be declined and you will be requested to talk with your Doctor for a reassessment.

You can also sign up with your preferred chemist for electronic prescriptions (see opposite). Housebound patients may be able to have their medication delivered directly to them. Please contact your pharmacy for more details.

Please be aware that our local pharmacies are often challenged by medication shortages from the different suppliers to them. We ask that you are patient with them, as without their work we can't deliver the medications needed.

You can find more information on the Electronic Prescribing Service here.

What assistance can you get?

In England, around 90% of prescription items are dispensed free. This includes exemptions from charging for those on low incomes, such as:

• Those on specific benefits, or through the NHS Low Income Scheme
• Those who are exempt due to their age.
• Those with certain medical conditions.

For more information on eligibility and assistance with prescription costs, you can visit the NHS website.

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

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

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 PPC.

• Telephone advice and order line 0845 850 0030
• General Public - Buy or Renew a PPC On-line

You can find further information on NHS prescription charges here.

The responsibility for prescribing rests with the doctor or healthcare professional who has clinical responsibility for a particular aspect of the patient’s care. Where, for instance, an NHS doctor refers a patient (privately or otherwise) to a consultant for advice but, when appropriate, retains clinical responsibility, he/she should issue the necessary prescriptions at NHS expense, provided it is considered normal clinical practice and within local guidelines and formularies.

"A patient whose private consultant has recommended treatment with a medication normally available as part of the NHS commissioned care in the patient’s clinical circumstances can ask his or her NHS GP, consultant or an appropriate health care professional to prescribe the treatment as long as:

• the GP / consultant/health care professional considers it to be medically appropriate in the exercise of his or her clinical discretion;

• the drug is listed on the ICB’s formulary or the drug is normally funded by the ICB; and

• the GP / consultant/health care professional is willing to accept clinical responsibility for prescribing the medication.

There may be cases where a patient’s private clinician/health care professional has recommended treatment with a medication which is specialised in nature and the patient’s GP is not prepared to accept clinical responsibility for the prescribing decision recommended by another clinician. If the GP does not feel able to accept clinical responsibility for the medication, the GP should consider whether to offer a referral to an NHS clinician who can consider whether to prescribe the medication for the patient as part of NHS funded treatment. In all cases there should be proper communication between the consultant/health care professional and the GP about the diagnosis or other reason for the proposed plan of management, including any proposed medication.

Medication recommended by private clinicians may be more expensive than the medication options prescribed for the same clinical situation as part of NHS treatment. In such circumstances, local prescribing advice from the ICB should be followed by the NHS GP/health care professional without being affected by the privately recommended medication. This advice should be explained to the patient who will retain the option of purchasing the more expensive drug via the private clinician."

HWG13 Defining The Boundaries Between NHS And Private Healthcare V1.3 May 2024