NHS, same prescription again, again, forever?

[dowie]

I'm in a situation for the first time ever where I need to keep taking a particular medicine, it requires a prescription, but there seems to be no information about how to manage the logistics of it?

Do I have to book an appointment with the GP every time?

Or is there some way they can say "yo just let billysielu get this medicine whenever he wants"?

Yes it is a repeat prescription as people above have mentioned - though what they don't seem to have mentioned is that you need it to be recorded as such. Does your GP surgery use an online booking system at all (there are a few companies providing this service for the NHS and various surgeries use them now)?

If so then you can register with your GP receptionist and go onto say the patient access website - under your medications you'll have a section for your repeat medications - if it is under there. (the receptionists will be able to tell you this if/when you go to register too) then you can just request the repeat online - if you use electronic prescriptions too then it should just get sent straight through to your pharmacist.

Also - if you have/had a paper prescription for the medication then does it have the medication printed on the part you kept - i.e. you can tick the box and put that into a box in your GP reception to request a repeat?

Is this something that you've had as a one off but some consultant has requested you be prescribed regularly - your GP ought to just do so but you could always mention it at your next appointment or again just pop into speak with reception at a less busy time and just as them to check on the system for you and/or sign up for the online service as mentioned already.

Lastly - how frequently are you going to get the medication - every month? every 2 months? - Is it more that one form of medication? Take a look at what your prescription charges will be and then figure out if it is worth getting yourself a pre-payment certificate - this could work out cheaper for you - you can just pay for the whole year in advance:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescription-costs/prescription-prepayment-certificates-ppcs

 

[dowie]

I'm pretty sure my medicine costs about a fiver. But it requires a prescription. Does this mean I end up paying £9, almost double what the item's worth?

Ah, just seen this - might not be worth a pre-payment prescription. Is the medicine available over the counter without a prescription? If so just buy it!

Otherwise you'll only get it privately if you see a GP or other doctor privately - if you're not already seeing one for something else then probably not going to save anything since a private appointment could well cost you £75 say...

 

[haaammit]

I'm pretty sure my medicine costs about a fiver. But it requires a prescription. Does this mean I end up paying £9, almost double what the item's worth?

What is the medication? As Dowie says a lot of stuff you can just simply buy "Over the counter" from a pharmacist at normal retail price. One of my meds is Voltarol 2.32% diclofenac diethylammonium which can be purchased without a prescription (although it's cheaper on a scrip)

To expand - your GP could prescribe Paracetamol - on a scrip this would cost you £9 - you can buy Paracetamol for like 50p for 32 or summat.

Check what the med is, look at the retail price and compare that to a scrip of £9 or a prepay and see what's cheaper for you.

 

[Hades]

I have to use testosterone gel daily due to cancer in 2011. So I have a prescription exemption card and all my prescriptions are now free (this medicine and anything else I need for any reason). It was issue by my GP and I have to renew the card through my GP again every couple of years. I assume this is so they can confirm I still need the medication. It took a couple of weeks to arrive the first time. I order my medicine every couple of months online through my GP and have it delivered to my local pharmacy for collection. When I collect it I have to show my card and sign the box to confirm I don't need to pay for them. My pharmacist do offer to order it for me but I prefer to order it myself.

I would recommend keeping the last prescription (I get handed mine by the pharmacist) and the box it comes in in case you need to travel and show it to anyone at customs.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

For repeat prescription users like myself, make sure you get yourself a pre-paid prescription certificate.

https://apps.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ppc-online/patient.do

It's £104 for a year. A PAYG prescription is £9 these days. So even if you only have 1 repeat prescription every 4 weeks, that's 13 x £9 per year which is £117. So the £104 that you pay all-in for a year would be slightly less. If you had 5 repeat prescriptions, then it would still only cost you the £104 per year.

 

[Energize]

The state some GP practises are in now means medication reviews aren't even done. I have mine every 2-3 years, if we didn't have prohibition I wouldn't even have to waste my precious time by going to the doctors.

 

[memyselfandi]

Same as Hades I have a prescription exemption card so don't have to pay anything. The only annoyance I have with the process at the moment is that I'm having to write in what I want I need in the online form because one of them needs to be reauthorized to allow me to just tick box it but they don't seem interested in doing that even though they still want me on it.

 

[Azza]

Does anyone use a delivery service like Pharmacy2U or Lloyds? How have you found them?

 

[bigmike20vt]

M
Our local pharmacy do it for you, the meds just turn up each month. I have to do an Athsma review every few years to keep my repeat going BUT..... There is a downside to this.
I had built a backlog of meds and as my inhaler costs almost £40 a pop I didn't want to waste money. My prepayment form had run out anyway so I popped in and asked the pharmacy to stop getting my repeats

6 months later I got a fine from NHS for fraudulent claims. I had to pay it before they would investigate at which point I have a devil of a job getting my money back it was incredibly stressful.

The pharmacy being "helpful" carried on taking my repeats and went 1 step further filling in the prescription on my behalf and putting it on my (,(expired,) prepay form. They never did explain where my meds actually went.

So TLDR let your pharmacy do it for you it is a great service but keep a close eye on dates and DONT pay anything unless you are certain you owe it.

 

[bigmike20vt]

I'm pretty sure my medicine costs about a fiver. But it requires a prescription. Does this mean I end up paying £9, almost double what the item's worth?

If it is meds you have to get with prescription then Yes. If it is over the counter then you can just buy yourself.

You may be surprised tho. My Athsma inhaler costs NHS £38an inhaler. I have been on it or variants of it since I was under 4 2 inhalers a month. I am 43 now.

That is just Athsma something loads of people have . No wonder NHS is struggling

 

[glenimp617]

You'll most likely find you need it until retirement. Then suddenly your GP will say that you don't need it anymore.
Funny that.

 

[Vanquish-Storm]

Check to see if your surgery are in the NHS' own app. They have the ability to book appointments or in your case sort out a repeat prescription on the app.

 

[Jean-F]

Online renewal with docs who automatically send through to the pharmacy of my choice and then simple pickup with a 6 month review with the docs and job done

That’s how I do it, although I think my review is annually.
When I’m down to 7 or 8 of a particular med, I go online and request a further issue, the site says that they should be at my nominated pharmacy within 48 hours, often they are there within 24 hours.
If I’m going to be near the pharmacy, I’ll just go in and check, or sometimes I’ll call and say that if the med is ready for collection, then I’ll maybe walk across in the next 30-40 minutes.

 

[--Mike--]

Does anyone use a delivery service like Pharmacy2U or Lloyds? How have you found them?

I use Pharmacy2u for my repeat prescriptions. Once they have the prescription from the doctors, it’s always dispatched within 2 days and delivered by Royal Mail within another 2. As long as you take this into account, it’s fine. They deliver to my place of work too so that is handy.

 

[Jean-F]

I use Pharmacy2u for my repeat prescriptions. Once they have the prescription from the doctors, it’s always dispatched within 2 days and delivered by Royal Mail within another 2. As long as you take this into account, it’s fine. They deliver to my place of work too so that is handy.

I’m glad that it works for you Mike, long may it do so, but I was talking to our mail man recently, and he told me that one day, on his return to the sorting office, he discovered a mess of loose tablets in his bag.
They had fallen out of a prescription delivery, and he had no idea who they belonged to.
Of course, that may have been a one off, but it would nag at me if my meds were delivered by Royal Mail.

 

[--Mike--]

I’m glad that it works for you Mike, long may it do so, but I was talking to our mail man recently, and he told me that one day, on his return to the sorting office, he discovered a mess of loose tablets in his bag.
They had fallen out of a prescription delivery, and he had no idea who they belonged to.
Of course, that may have been a one off, but it would nag at me if my meds were delivered by Royal Mail.

I’ve been using them for probably over a year now and never had an issue with the delivery. Well boxed up and packed out inside the box.

I don’t see how you’d get loose tablets, they should be in blister packets or in a sealed tub.

 

[DampDog]

If it is meds you have to get with prescription then Yes. If it is over the counter then you can just buy yourself.

You may be surprised tho. My Athsma inhaler costs NHS £38an inhaler. I have been on it or variants of it since I was under 4 2 inhalers a month. I am 43 now.

That is just Athsma something loads of people have . No wonder NHS is struggling

I've had heart problems for over 20 years and as a result take a shed-load of medication each month. I've used the Pre-pay card system for nigh-on all of that time, there is simply no way I could afford them otherwise. The costs to the NHS are considerable, and I am hugely grateful for what I receive. I have 6 items on repeat related to my heart condition. Following a quick "google" the sum total for all the medication was £466 give or take. A couple of items are so expensive/specialised my GP cannot afford to prescribe them so are hospital only drugs.

Even though I only pay a tiny fraction of the full prescription price, at least they get something back. However in all those years I have never been asked to show any proof that I actually have a pre-paid card. ( the system has actually changed relatively recently so you no longer even get a card. It's just a conformation Email acknowledging your payment)

On top of that I dread to think what the cost of all the operation/procedures will have cost over that time. IMO folk to take the NHS for granted and don't stop to think what the cost involved are.

I'll get me coat...

 

[Panos]

I'm in a situation for the first time ever where I need to keep taking a particular medicine, it requires a prescription, but there seems to be no information about how to manage the logistics of it?

Do I have to book an appointment with the GP every time?

Or is there some way they can say "yo just let billysielu get this medicine whenever he wants"?

Getting through to the GP on the phone is a nightmare, and I don't want to add to their workload having to deal with my prescription regularly anyway. Surely with all the people regularly taking medicine there must be a proper way to manage this, but I haven't been able to discover it. It just seems like you get 1 batch, then when you run out you're screwed.

Depends where you are. In cities you can ask for electronic prescription. It will be a monthly electronic transaction between your GP and the pharmacy (better if you pick a super market as they are open all hours).
If you are in rural area, just change GP to a more "central" to the closest big town. Very "rural" GPs only provide paper prescription to the attached pharmacy in 28 days rotation.
When you pick your medicine usually there is a box where you fill up the next month prescription page what you want (list of medication with a tickbox) and drop it in.

My GP was like that and once a month had to leave early work to catch up the pharmacy closing at 18:00. (Weekend closed).

However and here is the funny part of why the NHS runs out of money. I am on Lansoprazole, in UK had to pay £8.99 and is "prescription only" while NHS is charged £30
In Greece, can buy it from the pharmacy counter for €7 (£6.11) without prescription (same 30mg 28 tablets box). So since found that in 2017 haven't touched the NHS in UK. I always get 6 months worth of tablets when was coming to greece for holidays every few months, and is fine.
That saves me ~£35 per year, and the hassle every month to get to the pharmacy as I am Software Developer contractor working across the country and Europe. And saving the NHS ~£255 per year!!!!!
Plus the doctors fees etc.