Repeat Prescriptions

Repeat prescriptions are medications which appear on the reverse of your prescription which your doctor would like you to continue on a regular basis. Please make sure you re-order your medications before you run out! Our turnaround time is 5 working days.

Non-urgent advice: Pharmacy Update

From 1st April 2024, pharmacies are no longer able to request repeat medications on your behalf, unless you are unable to make your own requests to Mill Hill Surgery.  This is in line with national and North West London guidance to minimize prescription error and reduce waste.  Please contact Mill Hill Surgery if you feel that you are unable to request your own medications.

Online

In Person

Fill in a prescription request form or tick the items needed on the tear-off side of your prescription and drop it into the surgery. Please do not order any medications you do not need.

Post

If a stamped addressed envelope is supplied, your prescription can be returned via Royal Mail. Find our postal address.

Emergency prescription requests are requests for medication which you have run out of and need, to prevent you becoming severely unwell. Emergency medications include; antiepileptic medication, insulin, inhalers and adrenaline pens for anaphylaxis.

Emergency prescription requests cannot be used for medication which has been ordered late. You should allow up to 4 working days for routine repeat prescription requests. Please respect our staff, as it is your responsibility to ensure that your repeat prescription request is ordered in plenty of time.

If you normally take regular repeat medication please let us know by:

Giving us a copy of your repeat prescription slip.

Give us a copy of your medication label on your medication box or bottle which has your name, medication dosage and date.

The prescribing pharmacist will check your medication list and put them on the repeats list but we recommend you make an appointment with the Doctor or Pharmacist to have a medication review within the first month of registering with the surgery. It can take a 4 to 6 weeks for your previous records to be delivered to us from your last GP surgery.  If you need medication before that, you can bring in your repeat slip and request your medication. Your doctor might need to contact you about your medication request. Please allow up to 5 working days for a prescription request.

If you have an on-going problem and would like another prescription of a medication previously prescribed to you by the doctor (but not on your repeat list) you may request another prescription. Please let us know the reason for your request and a contact number, in order for the doctor to review your request.

You can make the request online via Systm Online.

Non-repeat medication request may take up to 4 working days to process and the doctor may wish to speak with you.

Requesting Online

You are able to request your repeat prescription via our online services; Systm Online.

Why does it take 4 working days to process a repeat prescription request?

At Mill Hill Surgery over 200 prescriptions are requested every day.

Our prescription clerk has to check your medical records to ensure that your medication request is on your repeat prescription, it then goes to our Clinical Pharmacist or Doctor to authorise and ensure that it is still appropriate for you. Once authorised, our reception team will file your prescription ready for collection.

Delays may occur if any medication requested is not on your repeat prescription list or if your medication request differs from what is on your list. Your doctor may also request that you make an appointment to have your medication reviewed.

Your GP can send your prescription electronically straight to any pharmacy/chemist in England. In order for this to happen , we would prefer that you nominate a regular pharmacy/chemist in England. To nominate a pharmacy, please use the NHSApp or Airmid app  or log in to the online service, Airmid / Systm Online  or let the practice know your choice of pharmacy.

If you do not have a nominated pharmacy, you will need to come to our surgery to collect the paper ‘token’ for your prescription needed for the pharmacist to dispense.

You can then pick up your medication direct from your chosen pharmacy, which saves you a trip to the surgery. For more information, please visit the NHS Electronic Prescription Service Information Page.

We no longer issue paper prescriptions (except in rare occasions for technical reasons) and we do not send prescriptions to any pharmacy outside England (either by post, fax or email).

Prescription Costs

Visit NHS Choices for information on:

Prescription charges

Who is entitled for free prescriptions

Medical exemptions (certain diseases will exempt you from paying for your prescription)

Free prescriptions for cancer patients, renal dialysis patients and pregnant women

Help for those on low income.

A GP in the surgery at which you are registered can only provide a private prescription if the medication is not available on the NHS.

A private prescription is not written on an official NHS prescription and so is not paid for by the NHS.

The cost of a private prescription is met wholly by the patient and is dictated by the cost of the medicine plus the pharmacists charge for supplying it.

A prescription is a legal document for which the doctor, who has issued and signed it, is responsible. A doctor you see privately can’t issue an NHS prescription.

Please note if any medication is recommended or prescribed with the expectation that this will be issued as an NHS prescription by General Practice we will require a letter detailing the reason for the medication, monitoring arrangements and agreed follow up before this will be prescribed.

Ealing Commissioning Group has developed a Clinical and Cost Effective Formulary – we do not prescribe drugs outside this formulary unless there is a very clear reason why they are being recommended.

We ask specialists to refrain from advising us to prescribe Special or Branded drugs unless they can clinically justify their decision which must be fully stated.

‘Red Listed’ drugs will not be prescribed in General Practice.