Medication Requests
It is the responsibility of all patients when ordering medication to provide the NAME of the medication and the DOSAGE being taken, without this information your prescription will not be processed.
You can find this information in your prescription bag each month.
Reminder
Medication requests can only be taken over the telephone between 9am-2pm however online services are available to order medication and book appointments.
Alternatively, you can hand your right hand slip into the reception during opening hours but you MUST tick the medication that is REQUIRED. Failure to do this will result in requests not being processed. You can also handwrite your requests with your details and the medication and strength required.
Please note Boots the Chemist at Seahouses are now requesting 4 working days notice. Medication ordered on a Monday will be ready for collection on a Friday, Tuesday's orders can be collected Monday the following week, Thursdays orders can be collected Tuesdays and Fridays orders can be collected Wednesday.
Repeat prescriptions
Patients on repeat medication can order prescriptions in person whenever the surgery is open. You can also send request by post. Online services are available 24 hours a day. You need to register with the practice for online services to be able to access this facility. Telephone calls for prescription ordering will only be taken during the hours of 9am and 2pm.
It is necessary to give a minimum 3 working days notice for all prescriptions to be processed.
Prescription delivery
We deliver patients medications to the following sites for collection.
Mondays
Armstrong House, Bamburgh
Please note that collection can only be made from Armstrong House on Tuesdays (2-4pm) and Fridays (10-12noon)
Wednesdays
Lowick Village Shop, Beal Garage, Holy Island Post Office and Chatton Shop.
Thursdays
Beadnell Shop
Please note that patients who pay for their medication cannot leave monies at any of the remote sites. Payment must be made to the practice either by cheque cash or a bank transfer payment, please contact surgery for more details. All Prescriptions must be paid for prior to ordering further supplies.
Dispensing of Prescriptions
We would like to make patients aware that our Contract with NHS England allow the practice to prescribe to all our patients but only allows us to dispense to patients who live more than a mile from a local chemist. If the local chemists are closed, we are permitted to dispense as an emergency measure to any patient who needs medication urgently.
All patients who are registered as Temporary Residents with the practice are entitled to have medication dispensed to them.
If you pay for your prescriptions we request payment is made at the point of collection.
Medication review
Patients on regular medication may be required to attend the surgery for regular checkups and this will be at the doctor's discretion.
Medicine Wastage - ONLY ORDER WHAT YOU NEED!
A report by the Department of Health estimates that unused medicines cost the NHS around £300million every year, with an estimated £110million worth of medicine returned to pharmacies, £90million worth of unused prescriptions being stored in homes and £50million worth of medicines disposed of by care homes. http://www.medicinewaste.com/campaign
DID YOU KNOW?
Even if you never open them, once you leave a pharmacy your medicines cannot be recycled or used by anyone else. This means that any you return are destroyed.
Patients requiring medication urgently out of surgery hours, should ring 111
Going abroad
Medication is prescribed on a 4 weekly basis. Any Patient travelling out of the UK for an extended period will be allowed a prescription for a maximum of 12 weeks medication, if advance notice is given to the practice.
If a patient is likely to have significant difficulty in obtaining additional medication after a 12 week interval abroad, at the Doctors discretion a private prescription may be issued for the remaining time away. The practice will not make a charge for this but will not be able to dispense it privately.