Patients on long-term medication can order repeat prescriptions 7 days in advance in a number of ways so that you may get your prescription on time:

• Telephone: We recommend you ring the prescription line between 09:00 - 17:00pm where our prescribing clerks will assist you.
• Online - Click on the Link . First-time users will need to complete a simple registration.

At all other times please allow the Prescribing Clerks the time needed to safely and efficiently work through the large volume of medication requests and queries from patients, hospitals and other Health Care Providers

Please allow 2 full working days for your prescription to be processed.

We recommend you order your medication 5 days before its due to give us enough time to deal with your prescription. If we do not get the required notice for your repeat prescription, we may not be able to issue it in time before your medication runs out.

Many patients make appointments to discuss their repeat medications and the GP's fully understand that patients can gain reassurance from this. Shifa Surgery have a Clinical Pharmacist in-house who would help you with your requests.  Clinical Pharmacists are trained professionals who can support and review the best use of your medications.

We recommend patients signing up for the repeat dispensing and synchronisation schemes which would help reduce clinicians time and make available appointments for those who need to be seen urgently. Clinical Pharmacists will make sure it’s safe to give your medicines this way and if a review of your medication is needed the Clinical Pharmacist will either do the review or book you in with a GP.

Repeat Dispensing and Synchronisation is a scheme to help you spend less time getting your medication as you do not need to worry about running out. Under the scheme, your doctor can write a prescription for up to 6 months worth of medicines. This can be issued to you monthly by any local pharmacy you have chosen. If you join Repeat Dispensing you will not need to request your regular medication each month from your surgery. Instead your prescription would be delivered by your pharmacyor you may collect your medicines when you need them. The pharmacist may ask you some questions about your health and medicines each time you collect your medicines, this is to ensure that you are not having any problems.

Repeat Prescribing is an efficient way to get your repeat prescriptions. If you get the same medicines regularly and you would like to collect your repeat prescriptions direct from your pharmacy sign up for the scheme. When you sign up for the scheme you will be given leaflets about the scheme and forms that you need to keep safe.

All urgent requests for medication will need to be requested by 11am by telephone or email so that it would give us enough time to process this.

Please note that the GP will not be able to complete your request prior to the end of the afternoon surgery. Requests approved by the GP should be ready by 6.30pm and will be sent electronically to your nominated pharmacy or be collected from the surgery.

We will honour two urgent prescription requests; additional urgent medication requests will be issued in line with practice policy of allowing two clear working days.

HOSPITAL MEDICATIONS

We are unable to process hospital medication changes until the official letter from the hospital has been received, clearly identifying the changes required.  This can take up to 14 days. 

If the changes or introduction of medication is deemed urgent by the hospital, the hospital must provide the medication through their own pharmacy.  We would not be able to issue you medication if you bring in a hospital prescription request.  

The hospital is required to supply patients with medication following discharge from inpatient or day case care. Medication must be supplied by the hospital for a minimum of seven days. 

In the UK around 16 appointments per GP per day are made by patients for conditions that are self treatable.

Local GP practices are supporting the need to review all NHS spending to ensure it is giving value for money for all patients. This means that clinicians are working hard to direct NHS funds towards those medicines that make a real difference to patient’s lives, for example, those suffering disability, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a wide range of other illnesses. Therefore we may ask you to treat minor ailments with easily purchased over-the-counter products, many of which can be bought cheaply under their generic name rather than paying for a branded version.

Please support your NHS by asking your local pharmacist (chemist) for advice on the following Minor Ailments: