Patients on long-term medication and eligible for repeat prescriptions can order in a number of ways:

• In Person- drop your repeat slip in at reception with the required items clearly marked.
• By Post- send it to us with a stamped addressed envelope if you want us to post it back to you.
• Online- Once registered, you can order your medication at any time to suit you. You can also order via the NHS App by downloading the app.  For further help with this see below.
• Telephone - We do not accept prescriptin requests over the telephone.

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account.

• Prescription Queries - If you have a query regarding your prescription please use online services ordering your prescription comments box or email us gmicb-bol.kmc@nhs.net   Your query will be passed to our pharmacy team.  Pharmacists are trained experts in the use of medicines, for many questions regarding your medication you’ll find our pharamcists a valuable source of information if you cannot find the answer you need in the leaflet provided with your medication.

How patients can access NHS App services online

Patients can download the NHS App on their smartphone or tablet, or access all NHS App services online by logging in at https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/account/.

Verifying patient identity

There are two ways for a patient to verify their identity in the App:

With ID
Patients will be asked to:

• take a photo of their ID
• record their face using their device
• enter their NHS number

Without ID

Patients should follow these steps to verify their identity without ID:
1. Select How to prove who you are without photo ID then follow the on-screen instructions.
2. When asked Do you use your GP surgery's online services? select Yes - I use online services
3. Select Yes - I have all 3 details
4. Enter the ODS code, account ID and Linkage Key or passphrase from your practice.
5. Then enter their name and date of birth when prompted and submit their details.

Data controller of patient information

GP surgeries are the data controller for patient information. The NHS App team and other organisations cannot amend patient records. 

Millions of people are using the NHS App to manage their health the easy way.  Did you know you can order your prescription, check your medical records, check you test results and much more.

You can also receive text messages from us at the practice, just turn on your notifications

NHS App Information 

The process to set up your NHS login is explained in this video NHS Login – Patient Journey 

All GP practices in England are connected to the NHS App. This means that anyone aged 13 and over and registered with a GP practice in England can use it.

You can download it for free from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store..

Many patients take medicines as repeat prescriptions to help manage their long-term conditions. But it is not uncommon for patients to express their confusion about what all the medicines are for, when they are supposed to take them and their concerns about taking medicines for long periods of time. We have therefore done a guide that explains our processes.

What is a repeat prescription?

Some medicines may be required to be taken on an ongoing basis to help manage your long-term condition.  This is a repeat prescription.
Usually, one- or two-months’ supply can be issued on a prescription and be repeated over a timeframe agreed with you before you may need another appointment or medication review.
Some medicines require closer monitoring or blood tests between appointments to make sure the medicine or the dose is effective and safe for you.
Some medicines are not issued on repeat because they require more regular reviews. Examples include strong pain killers or sleeping tablets. Your prescribing healthcare professional will discuss this with you on an individual basis.

How do I request a repeat prescription? 

Ways to request your repeat medication include:
a. Via the NHS app or NHS website – this is the fastest route as it goes straight to the practice inbox
b. Online via our website
c. In person – request forms are usually available in reception.
Usually, requests cannot be taken over the telephone (to avoid errors being made).
We may ask you to nominate a preferred pharmacy for your prescription to be sent to electronically. This is known as your ‘nominated community pharmacy’. If you are registered at a dispensing practice, the prescription will be printed in the dispensary. 

How long will it take for my prescription request to be processed?

We aim to process your prescription request within two working days.
This is due to the large number of requests we receive daily, and because there are several steps involved in ensuring the prescription request is safe to be authorised.
The prescription is then usually sent electronically to your chosen pharmacy or can be printed and collected.  There is the option to track your prescription request using the NHS app or website.
Please be aware at particularly busy times of year, for example, around bank holidays, you will need to order earlier than usual to receive your prescription on time.  There may be delays from time to time, but we always do our best to ensure you receive your medicines safely and on time.

Urgent requests

Please try not to run out of your medicines. When you are running low, e.g., have two weeks’ supply remaining, please request the next prescription.
If you accidentally run low or run out, we will try to process your request as quickly as possible, but please remember that the request process must be carried out thoroughly and safely and that GP practice teams are extremely busy.
Emergency supply requests for medicine can be requested from NHS 111 or 111 Online in an urgent situation.  The pharmacy will check the GP record/National Care Record to ensure that they are not making duplicate supplies to ensure your safety and reduce waste.

What is a medication review and a structured medication review?

A medication review is usually arranged annually, sometimes more frequently, depending on the medication or condition being treated. A structured medication review is a more in-depth discussion between you and a GP or pharmacist. It is an opportunity to understand how you are managing with your medicines and for you to share any worries or concerns you may have.

Medication reviews are important, even if you have been taking the same medication for a very long time.  The medication review enables you to raise any questions or concerns you have with your prescriber. It is the opportunity to discuss the benefits and any unwanted effects of your medicines to ensure you are getting the best possible treatment.
Some medicines require tests to be carried out before your medicines can be safely re-authorised to you.  For example, blood tests or blood pressure checks. If you have been asked to have any regular tests or monitoring, please book in for this before your medication review. 

Messages on your prescriptions

Sometimes we will communicate with you via your prescription. For example, we may give you a reminder about forthcoming blood tests.
When you collect your prescription, the pharmacy will mention this. You can always ask your pharmacist to check for any messages that may have been sent with your prescription.

What is electronic repeat dispensing (eRD)? 

Patients who are stable on their medication and up to date with blood tests or monitoring could have their prescription on an electronic repeat, called eRD.
eRD allows your GP or healthcare professional to authorise up to a year’s supply of your repeat medication. You can collect your prescription every month or every two months from the pharmacy without having to order it. eRD is reliable, secure and confidential. Your regular prescriptions are stored securely on the NHS database, so they'll be ready at the pharmacy each time you need them.
Please speak to your healthcare professional during your next routine consultation or talk to your pharmacist about whether you might be eligible for eRD.

How to avoid unnecessary medicines waste

Please do not over order your medication. Once issued by your pharmacy or dispensary, medication cannot be reused and will always be destroyed when returned to the pharmacy.
If we notice you are ordering medicines too frequently, we may advise that you have a medication review and stop further prescriptions until we have spoken to you. 

IMPORTANT
All prescription-only medicines have been carefully assessed for their safety before they were licensed to be prescribed. Your prescriber and your pharmacy team will check if the medicines prescribed are safe for YOU.  It is NOT safe to share your prescription-only medicines with friends, family members or colleagues.  DO NOT SHARE your prescription medicine(s). According to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Authority, anyone who shares their prescription medicines, even with a family member, is breaking the law. 

Your prescriber
When your prescriber (e.g., GP, pharmacist or nurse authorises that your medicine(s) can be repeated, they will set out how often you can have the medicines (e.g., monthly or every two months) and for how long (e.g., up to a year). After this time, you should receive a notification for a medication review to check how you are getting on with the medicines, if they are working for you and if you need to continue to take them.

The practice will explain the repeat prescribing process to you and their preferred way for you to order your repeats, e.g., via the NHS app. Your request for repeat medication will be processed carefully by the GP practice. This involves a clinician authorising that the medicine(s) is still appropriate and safe for you to take and can be re-issued. This process can take a few days to complete. If there is a query, they will contact you for more information.

Your community pharmacy 

Once your prescription has been authorised, you can either collect it or it will be digitally transferred to your nominated community pharmacy. This is known as the electronic prescription service (EPS).
If you receive your medicines from a dispensing practice, they will send the prescription directly to the dispensary. It will take the pharmacy or dispensary time (which could be a number of days) to order your medicine(s), check that it is safe for you to take and then dispense your medicine(s) ready for you to collect.
You may be eligible for electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) where the prescription can be authorised for up to a year, enabling you to collect it from the pharmacy without ordering from the practice. 

You
Please order your medicine(s) in plenty of time to allow the GP and pharmacy to check, authorise and dispense your medicine(s) BEFORE you run out.
Please DO NOT over order medicines. Your GP practice can
check the quantity of medicines that you have ordered. Over ordering is unsafe, costs more money and can result in medicine shortages. Only order what you need.

Please check your medicines as soon as you receive them to ensure you have exactly what you expected. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask.

Please tell your pharmacist or GP if there are any medicines you are no longer taking, or if you are taking any new overthe-counter medicines or medicines prescribed from the hospital or privately.
Please do not reorder any medicines that you have agreed to stop taking.
Some medicines require regular monitoring. This might be in the form of a regular blood test or more frequent medication reviews. If you need blood tests, please follow local guidance, and book your tests as often as is necessary. These tests are vital to
ensure that the medicine is safe for you to have on repeat.
Most patients will be invited to take part in an annual medication review or structured medication review. This is to help ensure you still require and benefit from your medicines and to give you the opportunity to discuss with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you have any questions or concerns in relation to your medicines.
Medication reviews are required to keep you safe and to allow you the opportunity to speak to your doctor or pharmacist or nurse about anything you are worried or confused about.
Failure to participate in your medication review may mean that it is no longer safe for your practice to authorise your medicine(s). This could result in your prescription not being reissued until a review has been completed and it is safe to prescribe.
In certain situations, there are emergency supply routes for repeat prescriptions. Please only use these as a last resort. Abuse of such systems can present a risk to medication safety and causes increased workload for the NHS.
PLEASE return all unused medicines to the pharmacy to be disposed of safely.
Please treat all GP practice and pharmacy staff with respect. They are working hard to ensure your medicines get to you safely and on time. 

Patients on repeat medication will have a medication review by the doctor or our Pharmacists once a year to review their regular medications.

Please look out for notification on your repeat slip and make an appointment.

PLEASE NOTE: If we have issued you with a rescue pack the following will advise how this pack should be used.

 The way you use your rescue pack should depend on your symptoms at the time. If you are increasingly short of breath and this isn't resolved by increased use of your reliever inhaler, then you can start your steroid tablet course (prednisolone). You only need to take your antibiotic as well if you have any of the following: change in colour, volume or thickness of your sputum beyond normal day to day variation. This will help prevent you becoming resistant to the antibiotic. If you need more than 3 rescue packs per year, we may ask you to attend the surgery for review. If your symptoms are not improving with your rescue pack, please contact the surgery.

Kearsley Medical Centre are excited to participate in a new service that will direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional when booking an appointment, which may be a local community pharmacist either virtually or at their pharmacy.

Local pharmacists are highly trained and skilled clinicians experienced in treating minor illnesses, and may be able to help you quicker and more conveniently.  This in turn frees up GPs to deal with patients with more complex health needs, and ensures that everyone gets treated at the right time, by the right healthcare professional.

if your symptoms can be resolved by a booked consultation with the community pharmacist instead of the GP, you will be given a same-day referral to a pharmacy of your choice. Your consultation may take place on the phone or in person at the pharmacy.

We think this is a good thing. We are working closely with your local pharmacist who is a highly trained and skilled clinician, experienced in treating minor illnesses. Once you see how great they are at helping with minor ailments we don’t think you’ll look back.

This will also help us to free up GP appointments for people with more complex health needs and ensure that everyone gets treated at the right time, by the right healthcare professional.  Click the image for more information.

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

NHS Charges

These charges apply in England only. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.

• Prescription (per item): £9.65
• 12-month prepayment certificate (PPC): £111.60
• 3-month PPC: £31.25

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 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.