Prescriptions

The easiest ways to order repeat prescriptions are:

• using your NHS account (through the NHS website or in the NHS App)
• using the GP online system via the link at the top of this page

These accounts show you all your repeat medicine and dosage and you can choose the ones you need.

You can also:

• Email - bobicb-bw.prescriptions@nhs.net - provide the patients full name, date of birth and medication required.
• In Person, in writing - preferably using the computer-generated side-slip, ticking each item required
• Post: The University Medical Practice, 9 Northcourt Avenue, Reading RG2 7HE

We do not take repeat prescription requests over the phone.

You can usually collect your prescription from the pharmacy 3 to 5 working days after you have ordered it.

You will need to choose a pharmacy to collect your prescription from. We call this nominating a pharmacy.

You can change your nominated pharmacy at any time:

• on the app or website where you order repeat prescriptions
• at your GP practice
• at any pharmacy that accepts repeat prescriptions

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.

For information on how to nominate a pharmacy:

Go to Nominating a pharmacy - NHS APP help and support

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.

• Go to Medicines A to Z (nhs.uk)

If you have a query about your medication and need to contact the surgery about it, email us at bobicb-bw.prescriptions@nhs.net or phone the practice 10am on 0118 987 4551 and select the pharmacy option.

If you have run out of your medication and you are not able to get a GP/Pharmacist appointment, then your local community pharmacy may be able to provide you with an emergency supply of medication.

There are certain exceptions to this however, which your community Pharmacist will be able to advise you, as well as providing you with suitable solutions such as contacting the 111 service.

If the Practice is closed, and you have run out of your medication then please call the 111 service. Any urgent requests for medication, which are received after 5pm, may not be issued that day and the patient will be asked to contact NHS 111 instead.

(Patients' medication is reviewed regularly so you may have to see a doctor or nurse before receiving a repeat prescription)

PLEASE NOTE: To avoid delay in processing your request it is necessary that you provide the correct name of your medication as well as your nominated Community Pharmacy where you would like the electronic prescriptions sent to. 

If any change is required to your medication you are required to book a GP appointment even if this change has been requested by your specialist clinician

Ask local pharmacies about their collection/delivery services for repeat prescriptions and requesting prescriptions on your behalf.

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.

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

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

As qualified healthcare professionals, pharmacists can offer advice on minor illnesses such as:

• coughs
• colds
• sore throats
• tummy trouble
• aches and pains

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

• Find a pharmacy (nhs.uk)

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.

Please note that any tests and prescriptions that are requested because of a referral to a private consultant will need to be carried out privately as the patient has elected to be seen privately. 

The practice will only consider prescribing medication if this is usually prescribed by primary care.

It is the responsibility of the private consultant who arranges for private tests results to review and action those results and not the GP.

Please do not ask the GP for results or treatment for tests which have been ordered by the private consultant.

NHS England have changed their prescribing guidelines and we are therefore no longer issuing prescriptions for most over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. You can continue to use the medication but will need to buy it from your pharmacy. Your local community pharmacist is able to offer healthcare advice on many minor ailments and the best treatments. Please see below for more details:

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

Patient information leaflet

Fear of flying (flying phobia) Prescriptions

We are often asked to prescribe sedative drugs, such as diazepam (Valium), for fear of flying. We have recently agreed a practice policy that we will no longer prescribe these drugs for fear of flying. There are a number of good reasons why prescribing of drugs such as diazepam is not safe or recommended:-

Diazepam and similar drugs are not recommended for treatment of phobias because other treatments are safer and more effective.

Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and slows reaction times. If there is an emergency during the flight it may affect your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and others.

The sedative effects of these drugs can affect breathing and cause low oxygen levels, which could be life threatening, especially with the lower circulating oxygen levels on an aeroplane, in people with breathing problems or when combined with alcohol.

Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however this is not a natural sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep and this can increase your risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in your leg or lung. Blood clots are dangerous and can be fatal. This risk is greater if your flight is longer than four hours.

Whilst most people find medicines such as diazepam sedating, a small number of people become agitated, aggressive or confused. These medicines can also cause disinhibition and lead to abnormal behaviours. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers.

Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal or controlled drugs in some countries so they may be confiscated or you may be subject to legal proceedings.

Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this test if you have taken diazepam.

We recognise that fear of flying is real and frightening and we don’t underestimate the impact it can have. We recommend tackling this properly by using self-help resources or considering one of the ‘Fear of Flying’ course run by many airlines. We do not recommend any specific course but you may find the following links useful.

Self help options

Self-help – Phobias – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

EasyJet

www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com

British Airways

Fear of flying courses from British Airways™ | Flying With Confidence

Virgin

Tips For Nervous Flyers | Advice For Nervous Flyers | Virgin Atlantic

Change of Brand Name of Your Inhaler - Information for patients who have been switched to Soprobec
Clenil Modulite inhaler to Soprobec inhaler

As a practice we work together with the Medicines Optimisation Team (MOT) at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) to ensure your medicines are regularly reviewed and that your treatment follows the latest best practice guidelines and is cost effective for the NHS.

The MOT has identified that a new inhaler, Soprobec, has been launched which contains the same active ingredients in the same amounts as your current Clenil Modulite inhaler, but is available to the NHS at a much lower cost. The practice doctors have agreed to switch and we would therefore like to change your medication as follows:

Your current repeat prescription is for:

Clenil Modulite aerosol

When you order your next prescription this will have been stopped and replaced with:

Soprobec

The Soprobec device itself works in a very similar way to Clenil Modulite, and the dose you take will remain the same.

To prevent waste, we would ask that you use up any existing Clenil Modulite aerosols before you request a new prescription. Local pharmacies have been informed of our decision to prescribe the Soprobec brand. They may not however hold a large amount in stock initially and may need to order some in, please allow a little time for this.

You do not need to do anything; the change will be made by us when you next request a prescription for your inhaler. However, if you have any questions regarding the change or would like to make an appointment with the practice pharmacy technician, please contact us.

The practice pharmacy technician nurse or community pharmacist can give you more advice and information.

The practice will not routinely reverse this switch unless there is a clear clinical reason to do so. If you contact the practice asking for this switch to be reviewed we will ask you to identify what clinical symptoms have changed following the switch so we can assess whether they relate to the change.