Prescriptions

About pharmacists

Support from your Pharmacy

Your local pharmacy is now offering clinical advice and treatment for more conditions than ever before.

You can now now get care for a variety of minor illnesses including urinary as well as blood pressure checks and oral contraception. Please see the below list of illnesses your Pharmacist can help with:

  • Blood pressure checks
  • Oral contraception
  • Lateral flow device testing for COVID-19
  • Impetigo (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Infected insect bites (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Middle Ear Inflammation (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Shingles (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Sinusitis (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Sore Throat (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)
  • Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections (Part of the Pharmacy First Scheme)

They can also advise on medicine that you can buy without a prescription.

Many pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. You do not need an appointment.

Most pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.

Information:

Why can't I get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine?

 

A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

This is because of government policy to reduce the amount of money the NHS spends on prescriptions for treating minor conditions that usually get better on their own.

Instead, OTC medicines are available to buy in a pharmacy or supermarket. Find your nearest pharmacy.

The team of health professionals at your local pharmacy can offer help and clinical advice to manage minor health concerns. If your symptoms suggest it's more serious, they'll ensure you get the care you need.

You can buy OTC medicines for any of these conditions:

  • acute sore throat
  • minor burns and scalds
  • conjunctivitis
  • mild cystitis
  • coughs, colds and nasal congestion
  • mild dry skin
  • cradle cap
  • mild irritant dermatitis
  • dandruff
  • mild to moderate hay fever
  • diarrhoea (adults)
  • dry eyes and sore tired eyes
  • mouth ulcers
  • earwax
  • nappy rash
  • excessive sweating
  • infant colic
  • sunburn
  • infrequent cold sores of the lip
  • sun protection
  • infrequent constipation
  • teething or mild toothache
  • infrequent migraine
  • threadworms
  • insect bites and stings
  • travel sickness
  • mild acne
  • warts and verrucas
  • haemorrhoids (piles)
  • oral thrush
  • head lice
  • prevention of tooth decay
  • indigestion and heartburn
  • ringworm or athlete's foot
  • minor pain, discomfort and fever (such as aches and sprains, headache, period pain, and back pain)

You can find a full list of the health conditions this applies to in this leaflet: 

1b-easy-read-over-the-counter-leaflet.pdf

 

Electronic prescription service

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is an NHS service. It gives you the chance to change how your GP sends your prescription to the place you choose to get your medicines or appliances from.

What does this mean for you?

You will have more choice about where to get your medicines from because they can be collected from a pharmacy near to where you live, work or shop.

For further information on:

  • Choosing a pharmacy or other dispenser
  • Cancelling or changing your choice of pharmacist or dispenser
  • What can I do if I'm unhappy with the process?

Go to Electronic prescriptions .nhs.uk.

Electronic repeat dispensing

If you are on regular medications that do not change often the GP will place these on repeat dispensing.

Electronic repeat dispensing is a process that allows a patient to obtain repeated supplies of their medication or appliances without the need for the prescriber to hand sign authorised repeat prescriptions each time. This allows the GP to authorise and issue a batch of repeat prescriptions until the patient needs to be reviewed. The prescriptions are then available for dispensing at the specified interval by the patient’s nominated pharmacy for 6 months at a time. Please ask Prescription Team for further details.

Information:

PROMOTING SELF CARE

 

The NHS asks all G.P.s to promote self-care for patients, and if a medicine is available to buy “over the counter” then we must ask you to do this and not ask for it on prescription.

In the 12 months prior to April 2017, the NHS spent approximately £569 million on prescriptions, for items that could have been purchased over the counter. This is a lot of money and could be used for other high priority areas. Every pound saved can be invested elsewhere e.g. mental health services, A&E, cancer care.

If a medicine is available to buy at the chemist, we will now ask you to do this. This list will include:

 

Simple Analgesia (e.g. paracetamol, ibuprofen for minor/self-limiting conditions)

Topical NSAIDs (creams, gels, sprays or patches such as diclofenac, ibuprofen)

Antihistamines for hay fever and mild allergies (including nasal sprays)

Dry eye preparations (in mild cases)

Treatments for minor, short-term conditions (e.g. colds, hay fever, diarrhoea, constipation, mouth ulcers, mild skin conditions – including dry skin, athletes’ foot, and dandruff)

 

Thank you for your understanding. There will be exceptions of course. Please come and speak to us if you have particular hardships or needs.

Questions about your prescription

If you have questions about your medicine, your local pharmacists can answer these. They can also answer questions on medicines you can buy without a prescription.

The NHS website has information on how your medicine works, how and when to take it, possible side effects and answers to your common questions.

If you would like to speak to someone at the GP surgery about your prescription fill in our medication query form.

Medication reviews

If you have a repeat prescription, we may ask you to come in for a regular review. We will be in touch when you need to come in for a review.

Prescription charges

Find out more about prescription charges (nhs.uk).

What to do with old medicines

Take it to the pharmacy you got it from or bring it in to the surgery. Do not put it in your household bin or flush it down the toilet.

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.

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. 

Page last reviewed: 17 June 2026
Page created: 01 July 2024