USING THE NHS APP TO ORDER REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

You can now order and manage your Repeat Prescriptions using the NHS App. 

For more information on how to choose your Nominated Pharmacy, order Repeat Prescriptions, and view your orders, please click HERE. Further guidance can be found HERE.

How can I register for the NHS App?

For more information about the NHS App and how to Register, please click HERE

USING PRESCRIPTION ORDERING DIRECT (POD) TO ORDER REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

It is easy to order your repeat prescription is through the Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) service.

To order your prescription by email, please use the address below. The POD team aim to process all requests within one working day.

shropshire.pod@nhs.net

You will need to provide the following information in your email :

• Registered GP Practice
• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• First line of address
• Name of drug, strength, dose and formulation (tablet, cream, inhaler etc)
• How many days of each medication you have left
• Nominated Pharmacy
• Your contact telephone number

In addition to the current phone and email service provided by the Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) team, an online prescription ordering form is now available so patients can place orders quickly and easily online.
 
Patients who regularly submit repeat prescription requests are being encouraged to visit www.shroptelpod.nhs.uk where they can simply complete the online form and submit a repeat medication order.

Telephone lines remain available for all to use, but where possible, please use the POD email services to help reduce waiting times for everyone. 

Other ways in which you can order your Repeat Prescription :

1. TELEPHONE 'PRESCRIPTION ORDERING DIRECT': Ring 01952 580 350 Monday to Friday between 8am - 6pm

2. IN WRITING: Ticking the items on your repeat slip or completing a slip at reception.

3. ONLINE: Order online by visiting https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk. Please note, this service is not available for patients under 16 years old. If accessing for the first time, you will need to contact the surgery to register to use this service. TWO FORMS OF ID (including one photo if possible) must be shown to enable registration. Once you are registered you will be able to order your repeat prescriptions AND book on the day telephone advice calls with a Doctor.

Please ensure that the items you require are requested clearly by ticking the appropriate box on the repeat request form, or if you do not have a repeat request form, please ensure that your name, address and the items you require are clearly indicated.

In order to process the large number of requests each day please note that 48 hours notice is required for repeat prescription requests, so please do not wait until you have run out of tablets before you request your medication. You can order your prescriptions up to 7 days in advance.

As a general rule, prescription times are as follows:

ORDERED               PRESCRIPTION READY:

Monday                    Wednesday after 4pm

Tuesday                    Thursday after 4pm

Wednesday               Friday after 4pm

Thursday                  Monday after 4pm

Friday                       Tuesday after 4pm

Due to the high volume of requests received by the practice each day, you should note that you will be asked to call back if you arrive to collect your prescription earlier than the times indicated above.

Please note that the surgery is not open on Saturday morning. You should therefore ensure that prescriptions needed over the weekend are requested early enough to be collected before the surgery closes on Friday evening.

Your repeat prescriptions can be held for collection at the surgery. They can be collected from reception during our normal opening hours but we would respectfully ask that you avoid collection between 08.30 – 09.30 and between 14:00 and 15:00 when reception is particularly busy.

Your prescription can be posted back to you if you include a stamped addressed envelope with your request.

Unfortunately, requests for repeat prescriptions can not be taken over the telephone.

PRESCRIPTION/MEDICATION QUERIES

If you have any queries about your prescription or medication, please contact the surgery on 01952 620138 and choose OPTION 3

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account.

INFORMATION:
Last year, Shropshire alone wasted over £1M on unused medicines. Please help reduce this by only ordering medicines that you require, and NOT ordering medication that you no longer use.

PRESCRIPTION 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.

NHS CHARGES

These charges apply in England only. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.

• Prescription (per item): £9.65
• 12-month prepayment certificate (PPC): £111.60
• 3-month PPC: £31.25

If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 15 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC.

• Telephone advice and order line 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

PRESCRIBING OF MEDICATIONS AVAILABLE TO ORDER OVER THE COUNTER (OTC)

NHS Telford and Wrekin Position Statement :

NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG does not support the routine prescribing of medication that is available to buy from local pharmacies or supermarkets for children or adults for the management of self-limiting conditions. The medication listed below are examples of medicines that should be purchased by the patient/parent/guardian:

(This list is not exhaustive)

• Anti-diarrhoeal medication for short term diarrhoea (<72hrs)
• Anti-inflammatory gels e.g. ibuprofen gel
• Antifungal preparations e.g. Canesten
• Antiperspirants
• Bath oils and shower gel (unless recommended by a specialist for infected atopic eczema)
• Cough and cold remedies
• Haemorrhoidal preparations e.g. Anusol
• Hay fever remedies e.g. antihistamines, nasal sprays (patients >18yrs)
• Head lice treatments
• Ibuprofen for short term use
• Indigestion remedies e.g. Gaviscon, Peptac
• Laxatives for short term use (<72 hours)
• Lactose free infant formula
• Lubricating eye drops and chloramphenicol eye drops and eye ointment (patients >2yrs)
• Medicated shampoos e.g. Alphosyl, Capasal
• Moisturising creams, gels, ointments and balms for dry skin with no diagnosis
• Mouthwash e.g. Corsodyl
• Nasal douches e.g Sterimar
• Paracetamol for short term use
• Potassium hydroxide for Molluscum contagiosum e.g. Molludab
• Rehydration sachets
• Threadworm tablets
• Vitamins and supplements e.g. low dose vitamin D (<2,000units), I-Caps, multivitamins

The reasons for this are as follows :

Patients have a responsibility to look after themselves and their children where possible and manage self-limiting minor ailments with support from their local pharmacy if needed.

Patients should keep a small supply of simple treatments in their own medicine cabinet so they are able to manage minor ailments at home.

All these medicines are widely available from supermarkets and pharmacies at reasonable cost.

Many of these treatments are more expensive when prescribed on the NHS compared to when they are purchased in pharmacies or supermarkets.

The NHS belongs to everybody and the ICB must ensure that its resources are used in the best possible way for all patients.

PHARMACY FIRST SCHEME

The Pharmacy First Scheme aims to provide eligible patients who are registered with a GP practice contracted to NHS England North Midlands Staffordshire and Shropshire Area (NHSE S&S) with access to free advice and treatment for common ailments, characterised by acute onset, via Community Pharmacy. The service will be provided through Community Pharmacies contracted to NHS England North Midlands Staffordshire and Shropshire Area (NHSE S&S) who have signed a Service Level Agreement to provide the service. For local pharmacies, go to http://www.telfordccg.nhs.uk/your-health/pharmacies 

The overall aim of the scheme is to ensure that patients can access self-care advice for the treatment of common ailments and, where appropriate, can be supplied with over the counter medicines at NHS expense to treat their ailment. 

Patients accessing the scheme that are entitled to free prescriptions will receive medication free of charge. All current NHS exemptions (including those with valid pre-payment certificates) are applicable, and the patient will be asked to provide evidence of their exemption.

Patients that are not exempt will be required to pay the standard prescription charge.

Common Ailments List

Additional from 1 April 2019 - Female UTI and Impetigo

1 Bites and stings

2 Chickenpox

3 Colds/Flu-like symptoms/Nasal congestion

4 Cold sores

5 Conjunctivitis (Acute bacterial)

6 Constipation (Acute)

7 Cough

8 Cystitis

9 Dermatitis/Dry skin/Allergic type skin rash

10 Diarrhoea (Acute)

11 Earache

12 Fever management

13 Fungal skin infections

14 Hayfever (Seasonal allergic rhinitis)

15 Haemorrhoids

16 Headache/Migraine

17 Heartburn/Indigestion

18 Infant colic

19 Mouth ulcers

20 Nappy rash

21 Oral thrush

22 Scabies

23 Sore throat

24 Sprains and strains

25 Teething

26 Threadworms

27 Vaginal thrush

28 Warts and verrucas 

The quickest way to order your medication is through our email service as we aim to process all requests within 24 hours during our opening times. Email the team at: shropshire.pod@nhs.net

If your request is urgent (required within 24 hours), then please call POD directly on 03333 583 509.

Our prescription clerks are working extremely hard to answer all requests as quickly as possible, so your patience and understanding is appreciated. We expect call wait times to increase significantly over the next few weeks. If you can, please email the team and keep the phone lines for patients who need them most.

During December, we will be able to request your medications when you have a 10-14 day supply remaining, rather than the usual 7-10 days. This does exclude some medications such as controlled drugs and those requiring close monitoring

CONTACTING PRESCRIPTON ORDERING DIRECT (POD)

Call NHS Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) on 01952 580350 between 8am and 6pm Mon-Fri or Email tw.pod@nhs.net

Further information about the POD Service can be found below.

WHAT IS PRESCRIPTION ORDERING DIRECT (POD)

The NHS Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) service is the easy way for you to order your repeat prescription.

All it takes is a simple phone call or email which you can make from the comfort of your own home – there’s no need to go into your GP practice or pharmacy.

You’ll speak to a trained health professional who will be able to discuss your prescription needs. Meaning you’ll only order the medication that you need, when you need it. This will help the NHS save money on wasted medicines which can then be used to provide other important services.

If you have difficulty using a telephone please speak to your GP practice to make alternative arrangements.

Why use this service?

Ordering your repeat prescription will be a quick and simple telephone call. You will be speaking to a dedicated person who will have time to answer your prescription queries. We will ask you what medication you need and are able to alert you if a medicine review is needed.

Who will you be talking to?

The POD will be staffed by dedicated, experienced and fully trained prescription clerks and clinical members of the Medicines Management team at the NHS Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group. They will have access to all your repeat prescription records and immediate access to your GP practice should the need arise.
This is all private and confidential and your personal information is secure.

Why are we offering this service?

Our aim is to ensure that patients are receiving the correct quantity of medication that they need in a timely manner, to reduce the amount of prescription waste in our area.

We will ask you how you are getting on with your medication and are able to alert you if a medicine review is needed. Unused prescription medicines cost the NHS over £1 million every year in Telford and Wrekin alone.

Already use a pharmacy to order your repeat medication?

No problem, you can use the same pharmacy. Your existing agreement with the pharmacy will need to be amended if they currently order prescriptions on your behalf but this can be organised for you by the POD.  If you have a current arrangement with a pharmacy to deliver your prescription then this will still continue.  Once you have made the telephone call or email your prescription will be authorised by your usual GP and will then be available at your nominated pharmacy 48 hours later.