Prescriptions

Prescribing of Over The Counter Medicines is Changing

Your GP, nurse or pharmacist will not generally give you a prescription for over the counter medicines for a range of minor health concerns.

Instead, over the counter medicines are available to buy in a pharmacy or supermarket in your local community.

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

Important Update – Prescription Requests 

From 1st April 2026, we will no longer accept prescription requests over the phone. 

You can order your prescription using one of the following methods: 

  • The NHS App 
  • Contact or visit your local pharmacy to request your prescription 
  • Attend the practice in person to submit your request 

Important Information About Acute Prescriptions

An acute prescription is a medication issued by a doctor on a one-off basis. 

These prescriptions: 

  • Cannot be ordered via Patient Access or the NHS App 
  • Require you to speak with a clinician before further medication can be issued 

If the practice has any queries about your prescription request, we will contact you directly. 

Request a repeat prescription

Please order your medication before you run out and ensure you have enough medication as up to 48 hours is required for the request to be processed. Regretfully we are unable to take prescription requests over the phone as errors can occur. Repeat prescriptions will usually be supplied for 28 days.

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Use the NHS App

Woodgrange Medical Practice would like to invite you to use The NHS App

Owned and run by the NHS, the NHS App is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.

The simplest and quickest way to order your repeat medication is by using the NHS App which links directly to your Prescription record at the Practice.

Download the NHS App

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Your Local Pharmacy

Pharmacies offer a prescription collection service from our Practice

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Pharmacy Ordering / Collection Service

Your pharmacy can also order your medication on your behalf. This saves you time and unnecessary visits to the Practice. Please contact the Pharmacy of your choice for more information if you wish to use this service.

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In Person

You can order in person by returning the right-hand half of a previous prescription for the required medications

Alternatively,  you can submit a handwritten request. You may also write out an order for someone else, providing you include the patient’s name and date of birth and requested medication.

Medication Reviews

Patients on repeat medication will be asked at least once a year to review these; certain medication may require more regular review. A notification message should appear on your repeat prescription slip when one is due.

Medication reviews are undertaken by the GP and can either be a face-to-face appointment or alternatively more are being undertaken over the telephone as a telephone consultation.

There are a couple of exceptions where our nursing staff will review medication if you attend one of our specialist clinics e.g. diabetes or asthma but it is always good to check if you are not sure.

As soon as you get this message on your prescription slip and to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions please book an appointment which could be a telephone consultation or a face-to-face appointment.

Shared Care Requests

At our practice, we are committed to providing safe, high-quality care for all our patients. Some treatments, such as medications for ADHD, certain mental health conditions, and other specialist medications, may need what is called a shared care agreement.

A shared care agreement is a formal arrangement where your GP and a specialist share responsibility for prescribing and monitoring your treatment. These agreements are always voluntary. GPs are not obliged to accept them and, when they do, they must be confident it is safe and appropriate to do so.

While we often accept shared care agreements with NHS specialists, requests from private providers will only be considered under the NHS Right to Choose pathway. This is because:

Private providers do not always offer the ongoing specialist care that shared care requires

GPs have a responsibility to check that the provider is properly qualified, regulated, and working to NHS standards, which can be more difficult to confirm

Some medications may not be commonly prescribed in the NHS or may require monitoring that is outside a GP’s expertise or capacity

Each request under the Right to Choose pathway is reviewed on a case-by-case basis against strict safety and governance criteria. There may be a short wait while we make a decision. During this time, please continue to get your prescriptions and monitoring directly from your specialist.

We encourage you to discuss any planned private or Right to Choose referrals with your us in advance so you are aware of any potential limitations on shared care. You can find a list of right to choose providers on the ADHD UK website.  Where appropriate, we can offer referral to the equivalent NHS pathway instead. We appreciate that there may be long waiting lists to access NHS specialist services, and we will do our best to support you during this time.

Thank you for your understanding.