Prescriptions

Did you know we process over 5,000 prescriptions per week?

When to order your repeat prescription

Order when you have approximately two weeks’ worth of your medication left
Please do not order earlier than this as your request is likely to be rejected.
We are unable to take prescription requests over the phone.

Allow 4 working days
This will allow sufficient time for the processing of your prescription with us and your chosen pharmacy.

How to order online

We strongly recommend you order your repeat medication online as this is the fastest and safest method.
You can do this via:

Order now

Use your NHS App to

  • view repeat medications available to you to reorder
  • tell us which pharmacy you want your prescription sent to
  • track the progress of your prescription request
  • check test results, view your health record and much more.

Ordering medication not showing in your NHS account

Not all medication will be visible in your NHS account. When we first prescribe you a medication, it will be as a one-off prescription and listed as an ‘acute’ medication. 

Before another prescription can be approved, a medication review may be needed. This is to check if the prescribed medicine is still suitable for you. If the review allows, the medication can then be added to your repeat medication list. 

However, there are some medicines that we can not add to your repeat list. For example antibiotics, salbutamol inhalers such as Ventolin, certain controlled drugs and medication that may need to be trialled or have your dosage adjusted. These medicines must remain on your ‘acute list’ to help us to best monitor how often it should be prescribed.

Non-urgent advice: Ordering acute medication online

You can request acute medications online: acute medication prescription request form

This form cannot be used to request appointments or ask questions about medication.

If you do not have online access

We are unable to accept prescription requests by phone.

You can visit any of our surgeries to order repeat medication in person. A post box is also available outside each surgery if we are closed. Please allow an extra working day to process these requests.

How to request a prescription for a new medication

If you feel you need a new prescription for a new medication that you have not taken before or have not taken in a long time, you should first contact us to explain your symptoms and tell us the exact name of the medicine you would like prescribed. Our healthcare professionals will review you request and contact you with the next steps for your care.

Find your nearest pharmacy

Use this link to find a pharmacy near you. Enter a town, city or postcode in England to search.

Find a pharmacy

Nominate a pharmacy for prescriptions to be sent to

You can tell us which pharmacy you would like us to send your prescription electronically to by using your NHS App or Patient Access. account. In the NHS App, select ‘view and manage prescriptions’.

Ask a question about your current medication

If you have a question about your current medication, you can submit this to our Pharmacy Team via Anima.
Do not use this form to order medications.

Alternatively, speak to your local pharmacy who should be able to answer your questions.

More information about prescriptions

Types of prescriptions for medications

Acute / one-off medications

When we first prescribe you a medication, it will be as a one-off prescription and listed on your health record as ‘acute’ medication. Medication on your acute list is not visible on your NHS App or Patient Access account. If you then need to take this medication for a longer period, we will move it to your ‘repeat’ medication list.

There are some medicines that we will not add to your repeat list. For example antibiotics, salbutamol inhalers, certain controlled drugs and medication that may need to be trialled or have your dosage adjusted.

To reorder acute medication online, you can complete the acute medication prescription request form.

Repeat medications

These are medicines that are suitable for you to reorder. Provided that there is no change in your symptoms and condition, we will usually be able to reissue the prescription without needing to review your condition each time for up to a year.

It is your responsibility to inform us of any changes to your condition or any side effects from your medication that you think you may be experiencing.

Repeat dispensing

For long-term medications that are stable and unlikely to change over the period of a year, we can offer you a repeat dispensing option. This means we will send a batch of prescriptions to your nominated pharmacy, for them to dispense the medication to you every one or two months. You will not need to request a repeat prescription each time your medication is running low. Your nominated pharmacy will inform you when you have used the last prescription in the batch, so you know when to contact us. At this point, we may need to carry out a medication review with you.

Medication reviews and monitoring

Medication reviews

Patients on repeat medication will need a regular medication review with one of our healthcare professionals. We will be in touch when you need this so that you can arrange the appropriate appointment. If you think your medication review is overdue, please contact our Pharmacy Team via Anima.

How will my medication be reviewed and who will review it?

People with long term conditions need to have a review once a year. Some examples of these include diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, some mental health conditions and learning disabilities.

Patients with other conditions may still be invited for a review periodically and you can request a medication review at any time.

Your medication will be reviewed by the most appropriate healthcare professional; this could be a doctor, pharmacist, specialist nurse or pharmacy technician.

Monitoring

Everyone who needs monitoring completed for their medications will be sent an invite either by letter or text. If you do not arrange the appropriate appointment for your monitoring then one or more of the following processes may occur:

  • You will be sent a reminder text to book your appointment
  • Your medication quantity will be halved (e.g. if you usually receive 2-months then you will only get 1-month supply)
  • Your medication request may be rejected

Once you have had your review/monitoring, your usual prescription will be reinstated.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you respond to the invitation to have your medication reviewed.

Prescription charges

View current prescription charges.

Understand who can get free prescriptions – NHS (nhs.uk).

Save money with a Prescription Payment Certificate (PPC).

HRT Pre-Payment Certificate

The Government has introduced a HRT Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) to reduce prescription costs for women receiving Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The HRT PPC is available to buy in one single payment online at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/hrt-ppc, or in-person at some pharmacies. You can call 0300 330 2089 for help and support.

Before buying an HRT PPC, you should check if:

Over the counter medications

Following NHS guidelines, we will not usually give you or your child a prescription for over the counter medicines that are already available to buy in a community pharmacy or supermarket – such as paracetamol, Calpol and hay fever antihistamines.

We recommend shopping around for good value painkillers, antihistamines, and cold/flu remedies. Unbranded generic versions of paracetamol, ibuprofen and allergy medication such as cetirizine and loratadine are just as effective as more well-known brands.  Discount stores and supermarkets usually stock these very cheaply.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We can issue medication early or supply a larger quantity at the discretion of the doctor signing your prescription. Please submit your medication request with as much detail as possible, including the dates you will be away and when your medication is due to run out. This will help us to ensure we prescribe you enough medication and reduces the need to request more information from you.

There may be several reasons why medications are prescribed in different quantities:

– Legal restrictions: some medicines are classed as ‘controlled drugs’ and prescription quantities cannot exceed 30 days.

– Safety: some medication requires frequent monitoring to ensure the dose is appropriate, eg: methotrexate.  Prescribing a reduced quantity enables us to check this monitoring has been carried out.

– Pack sizes: pharmacies prefer that we prescribe in whole pack sizes where possible as this is an efficient way to dispense and reduces waste. An example of this is hormone replacement therapy.

– Individual factors: there may be other reasons for not prescribing 28 or 56 days’ worth of medication and these can be discussed with a member of the pharmacy team if you are unsure.

When we first prescribe you a medication, it will be a one-off prescription and listed as an ‘acute’ medication. Medication that is on this acute list will not be visible to order on your NHS account.

Some medicines must remain on your acute list to help us to best monitor how often it should be prescribed. A review may be needed to confirm that the medication is working for you. If the review allows, the medication can then be added to your repeat medication list.

Following local NHS guidelines issued in 2024, we no longer issue prescriptions for gluten-free foods for most patients. The NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) has requested this change. Gluten-free foods are now more widely available in supermarkets, restaurants, and shops. Historically these types of foods were only available on prescription. 

The ICB have provided a Frequently Asked Questions document has been produced to explain the rationale for this change.

Recipes and tips for managing a gluten-free diet on a budget is available via the Coeliac UK website.

Take any unneeded medicines to your local pharmacy or bring it in to the surgery. Do not put medicines in your household bin or flush down the toilet.

We rarely have access to external clinical systems, so we need to wait for a letter to be sent to us by the hospital/other doctor. This can take some time.  Most prescription requests from external healthcare professionals will be added to your medication list but a prescription will not be sent to your pharmacy unless it is requested by you.