We are issuing thousands of medications each week and so need systems in place to ensure drug safety. Prescribing is a very high cost to the NHS, so we want to make sure we are all taking responsibility for appropriate ordering.
How do I order medications?
- The simplest way to order your medications is through the NHS app.
- Although we will accept paper requests, this is more challenging for the practice to manage and is more open to errors.
- We cannot accept requests by phone or verbally face-to-face as this is not safe.
How do I request medications for my child?
- For children under 16 years old, you will need to send an E consultation confirming which medications are required.
- For young people 16 years and above, they can apply for the NHS app and order themselves.
Can someone order them for me?
- Yes, patients can decide if they wish to nominate someone else to do this for them.
- We can then set up proxy access so they can order on your behalf using the NHS app.
- Please contact our care coordinator team for further information on how to organise this.
Can my pharmacy order my medications?
- In most cases, unfortunately this is not possible.
- This change came into effect a few years ago due to national concerns regarding over ordering and difficult workloads for the community pharmacies.
- There will be small numbers of patients where a pharmacy is allowed to do this.
Why am I asked to fill in a review?
- Medications require regular reviews to ensure they are still needed, assess for side effects and check that monitoring has been carried out.
- Most of this is often done during your annual review however sometimes we may ask specific information about a drug.
- We will often send a message to fill in an E consultation so we can ensure you are happy with the medication and there are no issues.
What happens if I don’t have my reviews?
- We will do everything we can to support you completing a review.
- Rarely, we may have to stop prescribing a medication or reduce the quantity we prescribe to ensure we are prescribing medication safely.
How much can I order?
- For most medications, we will issue 8 weeks at a time.
- If you have your medications in dosette boxes, these will normally be issued 4 weekly direct to your pharmacy
Why can I only order 4 weeks of a ‘Controlled Drug’?
- A small number of drugs are known as controlled drugs which are set nationally.
- These will often be drugs that can potentially be addictive such as very strong painkillers and benzodiazepines.
- Legally, we are only allowed to prescribe a maximum of 4 weeks at a time.
- We are not able to issue these earlier than every 4 weeks.