Ordering your repeat prescription
It is important that you order your repeat prescription in plenty of time. Ideally 7 days before you run out of your medicines.
There are a number of different ways you can order your repeat prescription. Check what options are available in your GP practice; choose the option that is most convenient for you.
Your pharmacist may be able to provide you with an emergency supply of your medicines (certain medicines are excluded from this service). This service is for emergencies only, where you have run out of your medicines and you do not have a prescription. It should not be used to obtain regular supplies of your medicines.
You should only order the medicines that you need to wipe out medicines waste.
Everyday health conditions
If you have an everyday health condition, you can use the Pharmacy First service to get advice and treatment from a local pharmacist, without waiting for an appointment to see your GP. You can use Pharmacy First services for acne, athlete’s foot, diarrhoea, earwax, groin infection, haemorrhoids, head lice, mouth ulcers, oral thrush, scabies, threadworms, vaginal thrush and verrucae as well as emergency hormonal contraception (morning after pill), urinary tract infections, sore throat and shingles. Some Pharmacy First services may be only available during certain periods of the year or for certain patient groups, ask your local pharmacist for further details.
It is important that all health professionals involved in your care are aware of your current prescribed medication including vitamins, supplements and herbal medicines, in addition to any current treatment for an everyday health condition.
Storing medicines safely
Medicines need to be stored properly to work as they should. If they’re not stored the right way, they might not work well and could even be unsafe.
It is important that you understand where to keep medication at home. You should pay attention to storage instructions, keep medication out of children’s reach, store medication at the right temperature and keep the medication in a dry place
Know Check Ask
Know Check Ask promotes a three-step approach to help increase awareness of, and educate you about, the importance of using medication safely.
Know Check Ask supports you to be more involved in decisions about medication, encourages you to report issues and concerns about medication and to keep an up-to-date ‘My Medicines List’.
Keeping an up-to-date list of your medications can help you know your medicines. It can also help you when you are discussing your medicines with a health professional.
The ‘My Medicines List’ can be printed and completed by hand, or downloaded to fill in and save on a computer or mobile device.
Assistance to take medications correctly
It is important you take your medications as prescribed to get benefit from your treatment. If you face practical barriers to taking your medicines e.g. forgetting to take your medication regularly or at the correct time, difficultly reading labels or difficulty removing medicines from pack, then speak to your health professional who will provide you with support to help you take your medication correctly tailored to your needs.
Support in taking medication correctly may take the form of
- medication reminder charts or calendars
- medication reminder Apps (see Health App Library)
- alarms or voice reminders from a phone, watch, smart speaker device or alarm clock
- phone calls or video calls from a family, friend or carer
Other forms of support include
- larger bottles or lids
- eye drop dispensers
- spacer or inhaler aid
- large print
- automatic (timed) medication dispensers
Patient Information Leaflet(s)
Most medications should have a ‘patient information leaflet’ (PIL) inside the packaging or box. If you need this information in an accessible format, speak to your health professional.
The electronic medicines compendium (emc) website provides up to date patient information for medicines prescribed in UK.
Yellow Card scheme
The Yellow Card scheme collects and monitors information on suspected safety concerns involving healthcare products, like a side effect with a medicine or an adverse medical device incident.
You can report safety issues around any healthcare product to the Yellow Card scheme. This can include side effects, defective products (not of an acceptable quality), and falsified or fake healthcare products.
You can make a report via website or Yellow Card App (available to download on the Apple or Google Play App stores).
Leftover or expired medicines
Unused, unwanted medicines (including inhalers) and sharps (secured within a sharps bin) should be returned to community pharmacies to ensure safe disposal. Do not keep them, put them in the rubbish bin or flush down the toilet.