Urgent Prescription Policy

We process a large number of repeat prescription requests each day. To ensure safe and timely prescribing for all patients, we ask that repeat prescriptions are ordered at least 7 days in advance.

We understand that occasionally you may need medication urgently. For this reason, the practice operates an urgent medication list.

Urgent Prescriptions

Only medications included on our urgent list can be issued urgently.

If your request is marked as urgent, it will be reviewed by the practice and checked against this list. Where appropriate, urgent prescriptions will be processed and made available for collection after 6:00pm on the same day.

If your medication is not on the urgent list, it will be processed within our standard 48-hour turnaround time, unless there are exceptional clinical or administrative circumstances.

We may ask you to provide a reason for any urgent request to help ensure safe and appropriate prescribing.

Monitoring and Appropriate Use

Urgent prescription requests are monitored by the practice.

Where a patient makes repeated urgent requests that are not clinically appropriate, we may contact them to discuss this and provide support to help improve medication ordering.

In some cases, we may issue a warning letter regarding inappropriate urgent prescribing requests. Continued disregard of this policy may result in further action, which could include removal from the practice list, in line with NHS guidance.

Important Information

All patients are responsible for ordering their repeat medication in good time to avoid running out.

Our aim is always to ensure patients receive their medication safely, fairly, and without unnecessary delay.