Prescriptions

We are a dispensing practice and can therefore normally dispense for all our patients provided that they do not live within a mile of a chemist.  For more information about this see our Dispensary page 

To order your repeat prescription please return the prescription counterfoil marked with the medication you require to the main surgery or branch surgery.

Please give us at least 5-7 WORKING days to complete the order (please note that working days are only Monday to Friday and do not include weekends or bank holidays).

Medication can be collected at St Germans or Downderry surgeries so please specify when you make your request where you wish to collect them.  ALL PRESCRIPTIONS ARE TAKING 5 - 7 WORKING DAYS, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE WEEKENDS OR BANK HOLIDAYS.

You can always collect drugs at St Germans. Please allow for Bank Holidays.  If you order after 5pm on the internet, please start your 5 working days from 9am the following morning, please do not include the weekends. 

WASTAGE OF MEDICATION and RETURNS

Please think carefully when ordering repeat prescriptions and only order the medications that you require. Medications that are returned can only be disposed of and not reused.  This results in an enormous cost to the NHS - and you the Tax Payer!

Please return all unwanted medication to our dispensary if they were dispensed by us.  If you collected your medication from a pharmacy then you must return your unused medication to them.

If you wish to order your repeat prescriptions online, please follow the links above.

Collection of Controlled Medication

We kindly request that you collect your medication between 9.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday (except for Bank Holidays).  We are closed between 1 - 3pm.

To comply with regulations all controlled medications must be checked by another member of dispensary staff prior to being given to the patient.  We ask you to attend between these times as there are always two members of staff working.  If you attend outside of these time we cannot guarantee that you will be able to receive your medication.

If some is collecting your medication on your behalf and they are not known to the dispensary team then they may be asked for proof of identity and your consent to collect.

Dispensary

Our dispensary is closed from 1 - 3pm Monday to Friday

We are a dispensing practice and can therefore normally dispense to all our patients provided that they do not live within a mile of a chemist.

We keep a comprehensive stock of medicines at St Germans and a more limited one at Downderry. From time to time we may have to order some medicines – we can usually obtain these within 24 hours.

In order to reduce our prescribing costs we may dispense the generic equivalent of some of the medicines you are used to. They will basically be the same drug but may be made by a different manufacturer. Please check your supplies at home before you re-order to avoid stockpiling your medicines.

If you have repeat medication we will keep a record on the computer. You will be asked to attend for review from time to time to make sure that the medication is still appropriate or if a change is required.

To order your repeat prescription please return the prescription counterfoil marked with the medication you require to the main surgery or branch surgery either by hand, post or e-mail it to quaylane.surgery@nhs.net

Alternatively please fill in our online repeat prescription form

Or Download the NHS App to order your medcation. The NHS App is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. The NHS App is available now on iOS and Android. To use it you must be aged 13 and over and registered with a GP surgery in England.

Use the NHS App to:

• order repeat prescriptions
• get health advice
• view medical records

You don’t need to be registered for online access at your surgery to order medication or view your COVID-19 vaccination status.

Please give us at least 5 - 7 working days to complete the order and remember to allow extra time for bank holidays.

The dispensary line is no longer available. If you have a query then please ring the main number on 01503 230088, a message will be taken and a member of the dispensary team will ring you back.  We kindly ask that you do not ring the surgery or dispensary to order your medication - we do not wish to upset you by refusing your request.

Medication can be collected at St Germans or Downderry surgeries so please specify when you make your request where you wish to collect them.

IF YOU PAY  for your prescriptions PLEASE REMEMBER to bring either cash, cheque book, credit or debit cards.  We are unable to give you your prescription without payment so please do not put the staff in a difficult position by coming without any money.

If you request a private prescription there will be a charge of £15.00 plus the cost of the drug which is subject to VAT.  We do not accept requests for private prescriptions without being paid for them at the time of ordering.  This includes some travel vaccines which are not available under the NHS scheme.

When you collect your prescription please check that it is correct before leaving the surgery.

Collection of Controlled Medication

We kindly request that you collect your medication between 9.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday (except for Bank Holidays).  We are closed from 1 - 3pm daily.

To comply with regulations all controlled medications must be checked by another member of dispensary staff prior to being given to the patient.  We ask you to attend between these times as there are always two members of staff working.  If you attend outside of these time we cannot guarantee that you will be able to receive your medication.

If some is collecting your medication on your behalf and they are not known to the dispensary team then they may be asked for proof of identity and your consent to collect.

EMERGENCY SUPPLY OF PRESCRIPTIONS

If you run out of your medication over a weekend an emergency supply can be obtained at a local pharmacy.  Please take either the box that your medication comes in or your repeat slip.  THIS IS FOR REPEAT MEDICATION ONLY and the pharmacy will give you four days supply to cover you until you can order in the normal way from the surgery.

NB:  If you pay for your prescriptions then the normal prescription charge will apply for the four day supply given.

Did You Know - Wasted medicines waste money

Unused prescription medicines cost the NHS across the UK over £300 million every year.

£300 million could pay for:

• 80,906 MORE hip replacements*

• 101,351 MORE knee replacements*

• 19,799 MORE drug treatment courses for breast cancer*

• 11,778 MORE community nurses*

• 300,000 MORE drug treatment courses for Alzheimer's*

*Based on average costs

But there are ways you can help reduce the cost of wasted medicines! Remember, only order what you need and help us make more of your local NHS. http://medicinewaste.com/help

How Can You Help?

There are a number of ways that you can help to reduce the issue of wasted medicines and save money for your local NHS.

Only order the medicines that you need

• Please let your GP or Pharmacist know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines
• Check what medicines you still have at home before re-ordering
• Discuss your medication with your GP or Pharmacist on a regular basis
• Think carefully before ticking all the boxes on your repeat prescription forms and only tick those you really need
• If you don’t need the medicine please don’t order it! If you need the medicine in the future you can still request it.
• If you need to go into hospital, please remember to take all your medicines with you in a clearly marked bag.
• Please also remember that your medicines are prescribed only for you; it’s not safe to share them with anyone else.

Remember that unused medicines cannot be recycled

• Even if you never open them, once medicines have left the Pharmacy, they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else.
• Please bring your unused medicines to the Pharmacy for safe disposal.
• NEVER dispose of your unused or unwanted medicines down the toilet

Unused medicines are a safety risk

• Return out of date medicines to your pharmacy or dispensary for safe disposal
• If your medicines change - return your old medicines to the pharmacy that you got them from for safe disposal to avoid mixing them up with your new medicines
• Don't stockpile medication - it is a safety risk for children and others who might take them
• Store medicines in an appropriate place out of reach of children

Remove labelling prior to disposal of empty medicine bottles/boxes

Identity theft can have serious and lasting consequences for victims, so it is important for individuals to take proper steps to protect themselves wherever possible. By managing your personal information carefully and understanding its importance, you can reduce the likelihood of it impacting you.

• Remove all personal and surgery labelling from medicines packets and bottles prior to disposal
• Shred or destroy your personal information
• Help the environment by recycling your bottles, blister packs, inhalers and cardboard packets

NHS Prescription charge

The NHS prescription charge, in England, will increase to £9.90 per prescription item from 1st May 2024. The price of a three-month prepayment certificate (PPC) will become £32.05 and a 12-month PPC will be £114.50.  A HRT pre-payment certificate will be £19.90.

Prescriptions Charges and Exemptions

Extensive exemption and remission arrangements protect those likely to have difficulty in paying charges (NHS prescription and dental charges, optical and hospital travel costs).

The NHS prescription charge is a flat-rate amount which successive Governments have thought it reasonable to charge for those who can afford to pay for their medicines.  Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) offer real savings for people who need extensive medication.

PPCs offer savings for those needing four or more items in three months, or 12 or more items in a year.

The Government states that these increases are in line with inflation.

• Telephone advice and order line for PPCs 0845 850 0030
• General Public - Buy or Renew a PPC On-line

There is further information about prescription exemptions and fees on the NHS website