Patients to tell their GP’s if they are no longer taking a repeat medication. The appropriateness of this can then be assessed and the computer updated to reflect the change.
Repeat Prescriptions will only be issued within one week of the current prescription end date. If the patient requests an earlier prescription they must give a valid reason in writing as to why they need the medication earlier than indicated.
Any prescription request handed in earlier than one week before the current prescription end date won’t be agreed and will be destroyed. A new request will need to be handed in by the patient within the correct time period.
The prescription clerk will check for drugs that require monitoring and request the patient completes the necessary tests before the next prescription is due. The prescription clerk will record each attempt at contact in the patients note including:
- Date and form of communication
- Response from the patient
These medications won’t be prescribed unless the necessary tests have been done if the doctor believes that the risk of prescribing them without the test results outweighs the risk of the patient not having the drug. The outcome in most cases will be that the drug won’t be prescribed if the necessary tests haven’t been done.
If there are any unusual requests, please explain these fully on the form, to avoid any delays.