Why receive a Prescription?

Our doctors and nurses may give you a prescription to help your healthcare needs.

This could be to:

  • Treat a condition you have
  • Try to stop your health getting worse
  • All patients get either an acute or a repeat prescription

Acute Prescriptions

You may be given an acute prescription if your drug:

  • Is being started and needs careful monitoring at first
  • Will only be used on a short-term basis
  • Is a controlled drug

Repeat Prescription

You’ll get a repeat prescription when your clinician feels you need medication for the long term.

If you have a repeat prescription, you won’t need a review when your medication is due.

However, usually you will need to book a periodic appointment to review your medication. This is normally every 6-12 months. You’ll find the review date on your repeat prescription.

You can book an appointment with the doctor or nurse for your review up to six weeks before the review date.

Wherever possible, prescriptions will be sent to the pharmacy you have nominated for your prescriptions. If you need to change your nomination, you can do this on the NHS App, or by contacting us.

Save yourself a trip

Already coming to see a doctor or nurse around the time of your review? You can have review done at the same time. Just inform the doctor or nurse that your review is due when you see them. This could save you an unnecessary trip to the practice.

Please see our Ordering repeat prescriptions for further information.


Request a repeat prescription