Serial Prescriptions service (SRx)
The Serial Prescription service is being made available to patients who require medicines to treat their condition over a long term period. The serial prescription lasts for a longer period, routinely 56 weeks, and will allow you to collect medicines direct from your preferred community pharmacy with no need for re-ordering at your GP practice for the duration of the serial prescription.
What should I do ?
If the Practice believes that you are a suitable candidate for SRx they will contact you by text message/phone or post and let you know that they have or will be changing your repeat prescription to SRx. If you already have a usual pharmacy that we send your repeat prescription to then you don’t have to do anything.
We will send the new prescription to your nominated pharmacy. The community pharmacy will register you with the service, complete a short health questionnaire then dispense your medicines automatically as directed by your doctor for example, on a monthly basis. Let your community pharmacist know if you will need to collect your medicines earlier than normal or if you will need more than usual, if for example, you are going on holiday. Each time the medicines are dispensed the community pharmacist will tell your doctor.
What should I do if I have a question regarding my medication?
Your community pharmacist will be able to provide expert advice in relation to the medicines you are prescribed and are able to communicate with your doctor if necessary.
What happens at the end of the serial prescription?
Near the end of your serial prescription, the community pharmacist will review your experience of the service and whether you would wish to continue using the service. They will notify your doctor accordingly and if appropriate request a further prescription for the service to continue. The doctor may get in touch with you before issuing the next serial prescription. It would be important for you to attend your doctor’s surgery if requested to do so for example if you need annual blood tests or blood pressure monitoring before your prescription runs out.