The easiest ways to order repeat prescriptions are:

• using your NHS account (through the NHS website or in the NHS App)

Please note this does not include Acute medication.

These accounts show you all your repeat medicine and dosage and you can choose the ones you need.

You can also:

• Bring the paper form to the surgery, Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, or use our letterbox.

We do not take repeat prescription requests over the phone or email, with the exception of Housebound Patients.

You can usually collect your prescription from the pharmacy 3 to 5 working days after you have ordered it.

You will need to choose a pharmacy to collect your prescription from. We call this nominating a pharmacy.

You can change your nominated pharmacy at any time:

• on the app or website where you order repeat prescriptions
• at your GP practice
• at any pharmacy that accepts repeat prescriptions

Please note we DO NOT accept repeat Prescriptions over the telephone.

This is due to patient safety as many medications can be hard to pronounce or sound very similar, therefore this method of requesting can result in errors. It also makes it much harder to trace a request when it has not been received.

We kindly ask that you respect this policy and avoid putting our prescription clerks in a difficult position by requesting to break these rules.

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is an NHS service. It gives you the chance to change how your GP sends your prescription to the place you choose to get your medicines or appliances from.

What does this mean for you?

You will have more choice about where to get your medicines from because they can be collected from a pharmacy near to where you live, work or shop.

If you have questions about your medicine, your local pharmacists can answer these. They can also answer questions on medicines you can buy without a prescription.

The NHS website has information on how your medicine works, how and when to take it, possible side effects and answers to your common questions.

• Go to Medicines A to Z (nhs.uk)

If you would like to speak to someone at the GP surgery about your prescription please contact us on 01708 343113

If you have a repeat prescription, we may ask you to come in for a regular review. We will be in touch when you need to come in for a review.

Find out more about prescription charges (nhs.uk).

Take it to the pharmacy. Do not put it in your household bin or flush it down the toilet.

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.

• Find a pharmacy (nhs.uk)

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.

Antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is a real threat to society. It is increasing year on year and when all the bugs are resistant, we will no longer be able to offer procedures such as hip replacements, transplants and cancer treatment.

It is therefore very important that we do not use these drugs for self limiting straightforward conditions.

Please be prepared to bear with the doctor if he/she does not wish to prescribe antibiotics.

Sleeping tablets and tranquilisers

These drugs are not licensed for long term use and the policy of the practice is not to prescribe sleeping medication at all, other than for patients in terminal care.

Analgesics

In American prescribing opioid medication kills more patients than road traffic accidents. Evidence is clear that they do not work beyond a three month period and are not used in centres of excellence, such as St Thomas's pain clinic.

We have a strict policy of trying to withdraw patients on long term opioids from treatment.