Repeat Medication Requests

It takes 3 working days (72 hours) to process your repeat prescription request, re-issue, print, verify and sign.

You may order a supply of your authorised repeat medication in one of the following ways:

• By ticking your requirements on the counterfoil attached to your previous prescription or fill in a request slip at the surgery. These can be put though the door or in the box in reception.
• By post to: Preston Grove Medical Centre, Preston Grove, Yeovil, Somerset. BA20 2BQ
• Faxed to: 01935 425171
• Or click above on the online Repeat Prescriptions Form

(Please do not order your prescriptions more than 2 weeks before they are due, as these request will not be processed)

Please state clearly on your request your:

• Full Name and Date of Birth 
• Address
• Name and Strength of medication

We do not accept prescription requests over the phone, as verbal requests can lead to errors.

(Please note: If you have completely run out of medication and need it urgently for that day, please come to the Surgery. Where possible the prescription will be ready to collect at 6pm if requested before 12 (mid-day) and if the doctor agrees to issue the medication. Please do not send e-mails or use online form.)

You can collect your prescription from the surgery 3 full working days after ordering or you can request it to be sent to a local pharmacy. (Please allow an extra day for collection from a phamacy)

Preddy, Boots, Asda, Tesco, Superdrug, Penn Hill, Abbey, Co-op, Options etc.

REPEAT PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS

Three full working days notice is required to process each repeat prescription request – please do not wait until you have run out.

WHEN WILL MY PRESCRIPTION BE READY?

 Bank Holidays

If a bank holiday falls between the ordering and collection day, please add an additional day to collection times.

Christmas, New Year and Easter

During Christmas and Easter periods please allow two extra days

EPS - Electronic Prescribing System

Electronic Prescription Service From Wednesday 29th October 2014 this practice will be offering the Electronic Prescription Service if you nominate a pharmacy, your GP will send all future prescriptions electronically to your preferred pharmacy.

We will ONLY be offering this on repeat prescription medications.  We will not be able to offer this on Controlled Drug prescriptions due to restrictions with type of prescription. 

If you would like to take advantage of this service and haven’t yet completed a nomination form, you should ask your preferred pharmacy to set your nomination. You don’t need a computer to do this.

 This will not affect the way that you order / request prescriptions.

Benefits for you

• If you get a repeat prescription, you will not have to spend your time going to your GP practice each time to pick up your paper prescription. Instead your GP will send it automatically to the place you choose, with less chance of it getting lost.
• Nearly all pharmacies will be connected to the service, so you will be able to get your medicines from any pharmacy you choose – whether it’s near home, work or the shops.
• You may not have to wait as long for your prescription items, as often there will be time to get your repeat prescription items ready before you arrive. If any of the medicines on your prescription are out of stock when the pharmacist receives your prescription, they can be ordered in ready for you.

 What happens if I do not wish to use the service?

Nothing- you will continue to get paper prescriptions as you do now.

More information

A full list of pharmacies who are offering electronic prescriptions is listed on NHS Choices Website You will see ‘Electronic Prescription Service Available here’ next to the name of the pharmacy listed.

Prescriptions Charges and Exemptions

Extensive exemption and remission arrangements protect those likely to have difficulty in paying charges (NHS prescription and dental charges, optical and hospital travel costs).

The NHS prescription charge is a flat-rate amount which successive Governments have thought it reasonable to charge for those who can afford to pay for their medicines.  Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) offer real savings for people who need extensive medication.

Urgent Prescription Policy

Please try to plan ahead if you can. We recognise that some urgent requests are genuine, but many could be avoided with a bit of forward planning

Due to an increasing number of requests for repeat prescriptions to be issued urgently, priority will only be given for prescriptions that cannot be missed;

• eg diabetic medications
• inhalers
• angina sprays
• epilepsy medication.

Most medications can safely be missed for a few days and you may be advised that your prescription will be issued routinely.

We will not issue urgent prescriptions for items that can be bought over the counter.

If your medication cannot be missed, the item will be issued as required and available to be collected by 4.30pm on the day and not before 6.00pm.

Stopping the prescribing of Gluten Free Foods

We regularly review the medicines that we prescribe to check that we are using the most effective and best value medicines for our patients and the NHS.

From the 1^st of December 2016, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has made all Gluten Free products non-formulary (the Somerset formulary advises GPs on safe, evidence based cost effective prescribing).

Therefore the GPs at this practice have taken the decision to stop prescribing all Gluten Free products on prescription from 1 May 2018.

Gluten free products are now more widely available from shops and supermarkets for you to purchase instead, either in person or via online delivery and the price of these products continues to decrease.

You may also decide to replace some gluten free products previously provided on prescription such as GF pasta with alternative naturally gluten free products such as rice and potatoes.

This has not been an easy decision for the Somerset CCG and our GP practice but there is now a need in the current financial environment to restrict NHS spending.

A gluten free checklist and advice on cooking and baking can be found at the Coeliac UK support website: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/cooking-and-baking/ and https://www.coeliac.org.uk/document-library/126-gluten-free-checklist/gluten-free-checklist-2015-online.pdf

Your local community pharmacy can order gluten free products for you to purchase if there are particular brands you wish to keep as part of your diet. However these may well be more expensive than equivalent products available from supermarkets and other shops.

Somerset CCG Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is available to discuss this change if you need advice, have concerns or don't know where to turn. As a patient, relative or carer, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice and support. This is where the Patient Advice and Liaison Service can help. This service is free and confidential. Their aim is to help sort out any problems or concerns you may have when using health services, agree the best way forward to deal with a problem and get it resolved as quickly as possible. PALS can be contacted via: