Order a Repeat Prescription

We can prescribe a maximum of three months supply your medication on a single repeat prescription. There are some exceptions to this which include some strong pain killers, medication that could be addictive or abused, and some mental health medication. Controlled Drugs (CDs) can only be issued for a up to 1 month at a time.

All patients on repeat prescriptions will need to have minimum of an annual review to ensure we are prescribing your medicines safely and efficiently. Failure to have a review may delay your prescriptions or result in a reduced supply until the review is completed.

Some medications require patients to have regular monitoring (either blood tests or clinical assessments). Your clinician needs to be confident these monitoring requirements have been met before reissuing your repeat prescription; this is to ensure we are prescribing your medication safely and appropriately. If your monitoring requirements have not been met, this could result in delays or disruption to your repeat prescriptions.

Each year 25% of the population visit their GP for a respiratory tract infection (eg sinus, throat or chest infection). These are usually caused by viruses.

For patients who are otherwise healthy, antibiotics are not necessary for viral infections.

These infections will normally clear up by looking after yourself at home with rest, plenty of fluids and paracetamol.

• Ear infections typically last 4 days: 89% of cases clear up on their own
• A sore throat typically lasts 7 days: 40% of cases clear up after 3 days and 90% after 7 days without antibiotics
• Sinusitis typically lasts 17 days: 80% clear up in 14 days without antibiotics
• Cough/bronchitis typically lasts 21 days: Antibiotics reduce symptoms by only 1 day

Antibiotics only work for infections caused by bacteria.

Taking unnecessary antibiotics for viral infections should be avoided because they may not be effective next time you have a bacterial infection.

Prescribing mental health medication in children (under 18yrs) is a high risk scenario. Studies show an increased risk of suicidality and as a result NICE guidelines state:

• Children (aged 5–11 years) and young people (aged 12–18 years) presenting with moderate to severe depression should be reviewed by a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service(CAMHS) team.

Antidepressants should only be prescribed to children (5–11 years) and young people (12–18 years) with moderate to severe depression following an assessment and diagnosis by a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

• Antidepressants should not be offered to a child (5–11 years) or young person (12–18 years) with moderate to severe depression except in combination with concurrent psychological intervention. 

A child or young person prescribed an antidepressant should be closely monitored for the appearance of suicidal behaviour, self-harm or hostility, particularly at the beginning of treatment, by the prescribing doctor and the healthcare professional delivering the psychological therapy. Once medication is started the patient and their parent(s) or carer should be informed that if there is any sign of new symptoms of these kinds, urgent contact should be made with the prescribing doctor

As a result – we believe as a practice all children should be under the specialist care of a psychiatrist if they are on mental health medication (for low mood, depression, anxiety, ADHD). We are happy to accept shared care agreement with NHS services to take over prescribing (at our discretion) if the child has been stabilised on medication and the criteria for a shared care agreement has been met.

However we cannot accept shared care agreements to take over prescribing with private psychiatrists as there is no guarantee that the child will remain under their care and it is unsafe to continue prescribing medication if they are not under the care of a specialist. In these scenarios, we are happy to refer to NHS services; however in the meantime whilst they are waiting to be seen by the NHS, the child must remain under their private team, and continue to purchase the medication privately.

In an emergency, when the surgery is closed, a pharmacist can supply repeat medications without a prescription if the pharmacist deems that there is an immediate need for the medicine.  

In accordance with NHS recommendations most prescriptions will have the generic name rather than the brand name. The effectiveness and safety of the generic preparation is identical to that of the brand name. If you are at all uncertain please check with us.

A generic drug or other product is one that does not have a trademark and that is known by a general name, rather than the manufacturer’s name.

Due to the strict governing laws regarding controlled drugs, we are unable to re-prescribe these early if they are lost. Please ensure you take close care of these medications if they are prescribed to you

If you are going away for more than 3 months we follow the BMA guidelines:

“The NHS accepts responsibility for supplying ongoing medication for temporary periods abroad of up to three months.  If a person is going to be abroad for more than three months then all that the patient is entitled to at NHS expense is a sufficient supply of his/her regular medication to get to the destination and find an alternative supply of that medication. ”

This means; if you are travelling abroad for less than 3 months, we will provide a prescription for your medications, to cover the period you will be away, as long as it is safe to do so. For some medications that require frequent monitoring, it may not be safe to do so, in which case a prescription may not be issued or a shorter supply may be issued instead.  

If you are travelling abroad for more than 3 months, you will be prescribed enough medication to allow you to reach your destination and make alternative arrangements at your destination. In these circumstances you will be prescribed up to 3 months’ supply, where safe to do so.

Patients or relatives should not request medication for themselves while they are abroad as this constitutes as NHS fraud.

When you are discharged from Hospital you should normally receive seven days supply of medication.

On receipt of your discharge medication, which will be issued to you by the Hospital, please contact the Surgery to provide them with this information before your supply of medication has run out.

Hospital requests for change of medication will be checked by a prescribing clinician first, and if necessary a prescribing clinician will provide you with a prescription on request. 

The Doctors have taken the decision not to prescribe diazepam in cases where the there is a fear of flying. There are a number of reasons for this that are set out below.

1. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.
2. Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than 4 hours. 3) Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number of people experience the opposite effect and may become aggressive. Benzodiazepines can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.
3. According to the national prescribing guidelines that doctors follow (the British National Formulary, or BNF) benzodiazepines are not allowed to be prescribed in cases of phobia. Thus your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing diazepam for fear of flying as it is going against these guidelines. Benzodiazepines are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
4. Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.
5. Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines. We have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet – Tel 0203 8131644
Fearless Flyer EasyJet

British Airways – Tel 01252 793250
Flying with confidence

Virgin – Tel 01423 714900
Flying without fear

We do not normally recommend diazepam for scans/procedures – this is because it is a sedative medication and it is important you are appropriately monitored if you are given this for the purpose of a scan/procedure. Therefore it is the responsibility of the referring clinician to decide what is appropriate and ensure appropriate medication is prescribed. We are unable to prescribe diazepam/other sedating medications for scans/procedures requested by the hospital or other clinicians

Specialists will often suggest particular medication at a hospital appointment and ask us to prescribe for you. To ensure your safety we do need to receive written information from the specialist before prescribing. Sometimes a medicine is suggested that is not in our local formulary. There is nearly always a close alternative, and specialists are told that we sometimes make suitable substitutions when you are referred. We will always let you know if this is the case.

The Doctors at the Practice regularly review the medication you are taking. This may involve changes to your tablets and is in accordance with current Health Authority policies. Please be reassured that this will not affect your treatment. We may sometimes call you in for a medication review and this may involve blood tests. It is very important that you attend these appointments, as it keeps you safe whilst taking medication. Failure to have a review can delay your prescriptions or disrupt your supply.

Prescriptions for anti-depressants and anti-psychotics are not placed on repeat prescription and patients are required to have a review (online, telephone or face to face) with their GP before a prescription can be re-issued. This is so we can make sure your medication is the best suited for you and pick up on any issues you may be having. Please make sure you book your appointment for review at least 14 days before your medication is due to run out.

Non-repeat prescriptions, known as ‘acute’ prescriptions are medicines that have been issued by the Doctor but not added to your repeat prescription records. This is normally a new medication issued for a trial period, and may require a review visit with your Doctor prior to the medication being added onto your repeat prescription records.

Some medications are recorded as acute as they require to be closely monitored by the Doctor. Examples include many anti-depressants, drugs of potential abuse or where the prescribing is subject to legal or clinical restrictions or special criteria. If this is the case with your medicine, you may not always be issued with a repeat prescription until you have consulted with your Doctor again.

A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

Requesting medication that you are not entitled to on the NHS – this will be in conjunction with our Haringey Medicines Management team and only at the discretion of the GP

GPs are often asked to prescribe over-the-counter medication to satisfy nurseries and schools. This is a misuse of GP time, and is not necessary.

All children should be under the specialist care of a psychiatrist if they are on mental health medication (for low mood, depression, anxiety, ADHD) as per NICE guidelines. We do not accept private shared care agreements for the prescribing of these medications

Private adult ADHD medication will only be prescribed by us, if a shared care request has been submitted by your private ADHD clinic and approved by your GP. You must ensure that all your monitoring requirements are up to date, and that you are still regularly being reviewed by your private ADHD clinic in order for us to continue issuing the medication.

This allows your clinician to issue 3 monthly prescriptions for up to one year. Meaning you wouldn’t need to request regular repeats from us. This is pre-approved for patients that are very stable on their regular medication. For more information on repeat dispensing, or to find out if you are eligible please discuss with your pharmacist.

If you are staying outside the practice area for holidays, work etc. we are unable to send prescriptions by post/email/fax. You should register with a practice as a temporary resident and request the medication. The Practice will contact us to confirm what medication you are currently being prescribed. Alternatively depending on your location some pharmacies may be able to provide the medication for you.

STOMP stands for stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both with psychotropic medicines. It is a national project involving many different organisations which are helping to stop the over use of these medicines.  STOMP is about helping people to stay well and have a good quality of life.

It is well worth keeping a small stock of useful medicines at home in your (locked) first aid cupboard. For instance, pain killers (analgesics) such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or aspirin (children under 16 and people with asthma should not take aspirin), or Ibuprofen syrups  for children, Mild laxatives, Anti-diarrhoeal medicines, Indigestion remedy (for example, antacids) Travel sickness tablets, and Sunscreen – SPF15 or higher Sunburn treatment (for example, calamine). For more detail see NHS UK Medicine Chest.