Collecting medication from your local pharmacist

If you get regular prescriptions, the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) may be able to save you time by avoiding unnecessary trips to your GP. EPS makes it possible for your prescriptions to be sent electronically to the pharmacy or dispenser of your choice.

Choosing a pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor to process your EPS prescription is called nomination. This means you’ll no longer collect a paper repeat prescription from your GP practice. Instead, you can go straight to the nominated pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor to pick up your medicines or medical appliances.

Because your pharmacist has already received your electronic prescription, they may be able to prepare your items in advance, so you just have to pick it up with no extra wait, but this depends on the capacity of pharmacists on the day and may not be possible all the time.

Further information

For more information:

• Read the NHS choices leaflet Electronic prescriptions – NHS
• download the EPS patient information leaflet (PDF, 52.8kb)
• watch What is EPS? on the EPS YouTube channel.

Reduced ordering of repeat medication

You might be suitable for eRD if you get regular or repeat medicines that don’t change.

eRD means your GP can send a batch of your repeatable prescriptions for up to 12 months (maximum of 2 months’ supply for any one prescription) electronically to a pharmacy of your choice. You can then collect your medication from your pharmacy or ask them to deliver it to your home. This means you won’t have to re-order or collect your repeat prescriptions from your GP practice every time you need more medicine.  All batches of the electronic prescription are stored securely on the NHS spine and automatically downloads to your nominated pharmacy at intervals set by the GP.

When your pharmacy supplies your last electronic repeat prescription, they will inform you. You will then have to contact your GP practice to ask for another set of electronic repeat prescriptions. You may need to be seen for a review before another batch of electronic repeat dispensing prescription is authorised.

Further information

Further information can be found under eRD information for patients | NHSBSA

How do I sign up for eRD?

It’s really easy to sign up for eRD – just ask your GP or pharmacist for more information..

Aligning your repeat medication

If your medication is out of sync and you are having to order your medication at different times of the month, please complete the attached form and we will amend your medication so that they run in line with each other.

Download and complete the form:

• Medication-synchronisation-form
  You can bring the completed form to the surgery, or post or email it to us using our details found under contact us.

Medication reviews

The practice aims to ensure that patients with ongoing medical problems who are on repeat medication are reviewed annually at least. If the date for your next review with a doctor or nurse has passed you will be asked to make an appointment. Please contact the surgery to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions. The medication review is an opportunity to check if your medication is being effective but also on occasions may allow you to reduce your medication.

Drug monitoring

If you are on a drug which requires regular monitoring with bloods tests (such as DMARDs), please can you take full responsibility and arrange bloods when they are required in accordance with your shared care protocol schedule which has been agreed between you and your hospital doctor. This both ensures the safety of these drugs but also avoids delays in issuing further prescriptions.

Private prescriptions

Our practice policy for prescribing on the NHS following a private consultation follows national and local guidelines and is as follows:

A private prescription issued during or following a private consultation will NOT subsequently be converted to an NHS funded prescription if treatment is either contrary to what a patient would receive as NHS standard care and /or confirmation with details of any recommended medication and indication for use has not been received in writing by the practice from the specialist.

Immediate treatment and responsibility

In line with NHS guidance any individual who opts to be referred privately (i.e., outside of the NHS arrangements) are expected to pay the full cost of any immediate treatment they receive in relation to the initial private consultation. This includes the cost of any acute or immediate drugs issued via a private prescription.

Long term condition – treatment in line with national and local guidance

When continued medication is required following a private consultation, the patient will be reviewed in the same way as NHS patients. Where a patient is recommended treatment for a long-term condition and the recommendations made for ongoing treatment are in line with national and local guidance, the GP may authorise further ongoing prescriptions at NHS expense on an FP10.

Exceptions
Following a private consultation there is no obligation for the GP to continue to prescribe the recommended treatment on the NHS if for example it is:

• not in line with national guidance or usual clinical practice
• beyond a GP’s normal clinical expertise (e.g., a drug considered should only be prescribed by a hospital specialist or consultant)
• a drug not listed in the drug tariff or permitted to be prescribed at NHS expense in primary care
• a drug that either does not have a licence for use in the UK or is being recommended outside of its licensed indications for use.

Processing of request if accepted
Please note, should a request for a private prescription be accepted for subsequent issue as a NHS funded prescription, it will take approximately 2-3 working days for the request to be processed.

National and local guidance on NHS prescriptions and private care

Our practice policy is based on national and local guidance which is considered in more detail under

• Principles and support private medical care – see two frequently asked questions “Can you have some of your private care covered on the NHS” covering the short term and the long term

Travelling abroad

We include our policy for repeat medication and other medication if you are travelling abroad, see under

•  travel clinic

General information

You can find general information on medication relating to travel under

• Holiday and Travel Health – this also includes information on over the counter medication which your pharmacist can supply you for your holiday (including a first aid kit)

Sedating medication for flying

GP practices do not prescribe diazepam for fear of flying. The reasons for this are around safety and national guidance, see under

• Holiday and Travel Health – see “Health and safety with flying”, information on alternative treatments is covered

Medical waste including a sharps bin

You can dispose of any medical waste including a sharps bin normally through your council, see under

• Prescription and Medicine Management  – see the section “local support – self-referral”, with links to your local council to facilitate this

Unused medication

Simple unused medication can be returned to your local pharmacy who will normally be happy to dispose of these for you.

GP practices do not have facilities to dispose of medical waste (including unused medication).

Find a local pharmacy

Enter your postcode to find a local pharmacist (including services open at weekends and during the evening)

• Find a pharmacy – NHS

Your local pharmacist

Build a relationship with your local pharmacist and understand how they can support you

• Pharmacists are a great source of information and provide support not just on your medication but on both long-term conditions (e.g., asthma) and also many common presentations. The full range of support is covered under Pharmacy.
• Pharmacist can advise you when you should see a doctor or whether they can help.

Nominate a regular chemist for your medication to go to

• Allows you to collect your medication from one source.

Allow them time between you ordering medication and you collecting medication from the chemist

• The practice has to process your prescription order and transfer the request to the pharmacist.
• The pharmacist has to ensure the medication is available and on occasions order it in.
• Allow 5 working days from ordering your medication, though your pharmacist may be quicker than this.
• Alternatively consider Electronic Repeat Dispensing of your medication (explained in the section above) which can be more efficient.

Many patients value their relationship with their local pharmacist as much as that with their practice.

Emergency supply

Problems often occur out of hours and the NHS website explains what you can do

From the NHS

• Where can I get an emergency supply of medicine? – NHS

The NHS explains how you can find an open pharmacist but alternatively you can also use the map found under “Contact Us” and then search under “Nearby” using the phrase “Chemist open near me”. Directions to each chemist are provided with a contact number which is worth phoning to check they are available.

Efficient management

There are number of simple steps which many patients find helpful. Some of these are covered in the sections above including

• Online access to your medication
• Electronic repeat dispensing (ERD)
• Electronic prescribing service (EPS)
• Medication synchronisation
• Medication reviews

It is also worth considering if you need to order more medication, particularly medication which is not used regularly. It is easy to accidentally build up excess stocks of medication. Many patients have found having a single location where they keep all their medication can prevent this accidental excess storage of medication.

Reducing cost

There is detailed information on how everyone can be supported with the costs of medication including those on low incomes, see under

• Prescription and Medicine Management – see the section “cost of your medication”

This includes

• Who can get free prescriptions
• Prepayment certificates
• Help with costs helpline

It also worth considering the frequently asked question on “Making the management of your medication more efficient?” so no medication is wasted.

Hospital medication

There is information to help you manage your hospital medication

• Prescription and Medicine Management – see the section “organisation medication issues”

A brief explanation is provided below

Outpatients

• If the medication is required immediately (urgently) the hospital doctor will complete a prescription to enable you to get the medication immediately.
• If the medication is not urgent, then the hospital doctor will send a letter to both you and your GP detailing the medication (including the rationale for the medication). Note the letter can take up to 3-4 weeks for you and your GP to receive.
• The hospital doctor in either case will fully explain the medication to you.

Inpatient, day case or A&E attendance
The hospital will prescribe 14 days medication (if required) after an inpatient stay and up to 7 days medication (if required) if you have attended A&E.

Choice of medication
A hospital doctor cannot prescribe any drug, they like GPs are guided by local agreed guidelines. This is covered in the link in detail including access to the local prescribing guideline.

Private care

For information on managing medication from a private provider see under

• Principles and support private medical care – see two frequently asked questions “Can you have some of your private care covered on the NHS” covering the short term and the long term

A brief explanation is provided below.

Short term

Once referred to a private consultant the whole episode of treatment should be provided by the private provider, meaning that NHS and Private care should not be mixed together, so that

For private outpatients it is completely the private providers responsibility to

• Prescribe short term medication privately for any single episode of care (e.g., antibiotics)

For private inpatients, it is completely the private providers responsibility to

• Provide medication privately for any short-term medication which is part of the package of care (e.g., for a hip replacement any immediate medication required as a result of the operation such as low molecular weight heparin, pain relief or antibiotics following the operation)

Long term

If a private consultation identifies a long-term condition or a need for long term medication which is available as a routine long- term NHS treatment this should be provided by the patient’s usual GP.

However

• This medication should be prescribed in line with local guidelines
• The GP must be in receipt of a letter from the private consultant explaining the rationale for the medication as part of the treatment of a long-term condition and the patient should have been briefed on the medication in full. A verbal request or private prescription will not suffice.

For more detail including information on local medication guidance see the link above.

Letter requests

GP practices may charge for any private letter you ask for (explained under Non-nHS private services) however, in many cases a letter is unnecessary because

• You can print off a copy of your medication with online access to your notes which is free.
• You usually do not require authorisation for over-the-counter medication as is explained by the BMA Prescribing over-the-counter medicines in nurseries and schools.

If you do need a letter plan ahead to arrange this as such a request will not be considered urgent.