If you are on long-term treatment for any condition, the doctor may make your medicine needs available on a repeat basis, although regular reviews with you will be needed in order for this to continue.

Repeat prescriptions can be ordered in the following ways:

• Using our Repeat Prescription Request Form
• Online using Patient Access or call us for details of how to set this up
• by post to The Surgery, 32 Kingsland Road, West mersea, CO5 8RA

If you have the same medicines month in, month out, you may benefit from joining the repeat dispensing scheme. Find out more

Medicines that have been prescribed to you on a one-off basis cannot be re-issued to you without the authority of a doctor, and you may have to see the doctor in order to obtain further supplies. Some kinds of medicine, for example antidepressants, are not usually placed on repeat and will require a visit or telephone consultation with the doctor before a repeat prescription is agreed.

Requests for repeat medicines are never taken over the telephone unless you are housebound and we agree that you can do this. This is a safety measure to prevent errors.

We are now part of the Electronic Prescribing Service. Ask someone at the surgery or at any pharmacy of your choice that offers EPS to add your nomination for you. Nomination means you choose a place for West Mersea Medical Practice to electronically send your prescription to. You don’t need a computer to use EPS. For more information please visit www.hscic.gov.uk.

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. ”

Unused Medicines

Unfortunately we cannot take any unused medications at the surgery, please contact the pharmacy to arrange disposal.

Prescription Fees

Prescriptions Charges and Exemptions

Extensive exemption and remission arrangements protect those likely to have difficulty in paying charges (NHS prescription and dental charges, optical and hospital travel costs).

The NHS prescription charge is a flat-rate amount which successive Governments have thought it reasonable to charge for those who can afford to pay for their medicines. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) offer real savings for people who need extensive medication.