It is our normal practice to dispense 28 days' worth of medication for repeat prescriptions.

There are several ways to order your repeat prescriptions:

• After registering online for ‘online booking details’, you can order online using the link at the top of this page. Please contact reception for more information.
• You can nominate a pharmacy to order your prescription(s) on your behalf.
• Using your prescription counterfoil, which is the perforated portion on the right-hand side, mark the items you need. You can place your request counterfoil in the red box outside of the Practice by the side entrance. Why not do this when you are collecting your prescription(s) or medication to generate your prescription(s) for the next month?
• You can make a request in writing, enclosing a self-addressed envelope if you require the prescription posting to you, or at a pharmacy. Most local pharmacies will collect prescriptions from us if asked to do so, but we cannot guarantee this.
• You can also request your repeat medications by emailing our Dispensing Team on D-ICB.LitchdonDispensary@nhs.net. Please ensure you include full name, date of birth and mailing address. You do not need to be a dispensing patient.

Please Note: To avoid errors or mistakes, we are unable to accept repeat prescription requests over the telephone.

Please allow at least 4 working days for repeat prescriptions to be processed by us; 4 working days does not include weekends and bank holidays.

Most chemists will take a further 5-7 days to prepare your prescription at their end for you to collect your medication from them.

The NHS recognises that a 28-day repeat prescribing interval makes the best possible balance between patient convenience, good medical practice, and minimal drug wastage.

The British Medical Association notes that “Prescribing intervals should be in line with the medically appropriate needs of the patient, taking into account the need to safeguard NHS resources, patient convenience, and the dangers of excess drugs in the home.”

The benefits of 28-day prescribing include:

• Reducing the amount of medicine which is currently wasted when your doctor stops or changes your medicine.
• Reducing the potential for error when your medication is changed in the middle of supply.
• Increased safety as you will not have multiple containers of the same medicine meaning it is likely to reduce the number of mistakes made by, for example, elderly patients, and it will also reduce the risk of potential poisoning of young children.
• Many medicines are supplied in 28-day packs, allowing you to check that you have taken your medication each day. You will start and finish the container of each medicine on the same day of the week, meaning it will be easier for your doctor to review all of the repeat medicines you are taking and to see when you have not ordered your medicines.
• Financial losses due to medicines waste represent a direct loss to patient care. Since 28-day prescribing reduces medicines waste, this in turn has a positive impact on patient care.

Studies in the UK and abroad have shown significant savings and a reduction in waste with 28-day prescribing. NICE Guidelines support 28 day prescribing and recommend that medicines are prescribed for no more than 30 days (prescribing larger quantities puts the supply chain at risk)

The surgery will provide you with a prescription for an interval that is clinically appropriate for you, considering the above good practice, how stable your condition is, how long we expect you to take the medicine for, any side-effects you may experience, whether or not your medicine may change in the future, and any monitoring required. For some patients on certain medicines at a stable dose (e.g., contraceptives & HRT), your doctor may decide it is appropriate to issue prescriptions for prescribing intervals longer than 28 days and for medicines that are taken “as required” or for creams and certain inhalers your medicines may only be available on the normal repeat basis when you will make the request in the usual way.

For certain patients on stable doses, we can move their prescriptions to the Electronic Repeat Dispensing system (eRD). Your medication can be issued for a number of months at a time, you simply collect from your pharmacy each month without having to contact or request from the surgery. Prescriptions on eRD will still be 28 day intervals.

The vast majority of patients collecting repeat prescriptions do not pay prescription charges; therefore, there will be no difference to these patients in terms of cost due to 28-day prescribing. If you do have to pay prescription charges, then it may be beneficial for you to buy a Prescription Prepayment Certificate especially if you are taking 3 or more medicines on a regular basis. More information is available on this website www.services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/buy-prescription-prepayment-certificate

To find a pharmacy near you, you can use the NHS find a pharmacy link provided here.

Your GP will review all your repeat medications annually. If any blood tests or checks such as blood pressure are required, you will be contacted by reception.

We are a dispensing practice, which means that we are authorised by NHS England to dispense prescribed items to our rural patients who live more than one mile away from a pharmacy/chemist.

Our dispensary for rural patients is conveniently located within the main surgery building.

If you are a patient we dispense to, in certain circumstances we are also able to offer a delivery service where we can drop your medication off to you at home.  Please ask our Dispensary team for more details.

The Dispensary is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:00pm.  It is closed at weekends and on bank holidays.

If you have any questions regarding your medication, please contact the surgery on 01271 323 443. The Dispensing Team will aim to call you back within 2 to 3 hours. You can also contact our Dispensary Team by email to order your repeat medication or ask them questions about your medication. You do not need to be a dispensing patient to contact them. Please ensure you include your full name, date of birth, and mailing address so we can identify you. The email address is: D-ICB.LitchdonDispensary@nhs.net.

If anyone is coming to collect prescribed controlled drugs from the surgery either for themselves or on behalf of someone else they will need to adhere to the legal requirement of bringing photo ID of the person collecting them. They will also need to be collected before 12:00 noon or after 2:00pm.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) repeat prescription prepayment certificate

Patients who are prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy medications can now apply for a 12-month prepayment certificate that will cover just their HRT charges.

As the HRT prepayment certificate only covers HRT medication, GPs are being asked to put HRT medications on separate prescription forms to any other medications you may be taking.

We are setting up a process for putting HRT on to repeat and will contact relevant patients as appropriate. Please continue to request your medication in the usual way unless you hear from us about any changes.

To find out more and to apply for a 12-month HRT prepayment certificate please click HERE

Help with NHS costs

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 age exempt
• those with certain medical conditions
• More information is available at NHS Choices

You can see the current prescription charges for England at here.

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 Pre-Paid Certificate (PPC).

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

There is further information about prescription exemptions and fees on the NHS website.

You're entitled to a medical exemption certificate if you have either:

• a permanent fistula (for example, caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) which needs continuous surgical dressing or an appliance
• a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison’s Disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential
• diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism
• diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone
• hypoparathyroidism
• myasthenia gravis
• myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement)
• epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy
• a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without the help of another person
• cancer and are undergoing treatment for either:
  • cancer
  • the effects of cancer
  • the effects of cancer treatment

These are the only conditions that entitle you to a medical exemption certificate. If you’re not sure about the name of your condition, speak to your doctor.

If you require this form, please collect from the surgery. 

To raise a query about your medications, order repeat prescriptions or nominate a pharmacy for online prescription ordering you can ring your chemist, use your NHS app, or contact the dispensary by emailing D-ICB.LitchdonDispensary@nhs.net or calling 01271 323 443.