Flu Vaccinations Autumn 2025

We’re seeing an unusually early start to the flu season this year, with the latest data showing a sharp increase among children but also increases in other age groups, with the virus now starting to spread more widely in the community.Getting vaccinated is quick, safe, and helps protect you, your family, and our community. It

Prescriptions

Add a message to prescription requests made via the NHS app or patient access

From 1st April 2024, we have made the decision to remove the option to add a message to prescription requests made via the NHS app or patient access services. We have done this for patient safety reasons because not all messages received were purely medication related. If you have medication queries please either complete a Patient Triage request via the NHS App, speak to your local pharmacist, one of our clinical pharmacists or arrange an appointment with your usual general practitioner.

Ordering repeat prescriptions

The easiest ways to order repeat prescriptions are:

These accounts show you all your repeat medicine and dosage and you can choose the ones you need.

We do not take repeat prescription requests over the phone or via email.

Please order your medication no more than 7 to 10 days before your supply runs out. Those requests received earlier than 10 days will be rejected. If you need your prescription early for good reason, you could be going away on holiday, do please contact our prescription clerk to arrange.

Please allow 14 days for patients using online pharmacies who post medications to patients.

Collecting your prescription

We need at least 3 full working days for your GP to send your prescription to the pharmacy. You can usually collect your new prescription from your nominated pharmacy within 5 working days of them receiving it. Electronic Prescription Services (EPS), allows prescribers to send prescriptions electronically to a dispenser (such as a pharmacy) of the patient’s choice. This makes the prescribing and dispensing process more efficient and convenient for patients and staff. It is also more environmentally friendly, as it does not require a paper prescription to be generated. 

If you haven’t already nominated a chemist to collect your prescriptions from, please speak with our Care Navigation team to do so, or send an admin message through Patient Triage.

Non-urgent advice: Why can’t I get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine?

Please don’t ask your GP for medicines which can be bought at the pharmacy. A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

Further information about OTC medicines is available from NHS UK

Questions about your prescription

If you have questions about your medicine, your local pharmacists can answer these. They can also answer questions on medicines you can buy without a prescription.

Find a pharmacy near you

The NHS website has information on how your medicine works, how and when to take it, possible side effects and answers to your common questions.

Go to the Medicines A to Z

What if my prescription is unavailable?

If you are told by the pharmacy that the medication is unavailable, please ask the Pharmacist which alternative is available and in stock. You will then need to contact us so we can issue an alternative medication.

If you are advised that there is a national shortage of your medication, please contact us so we can ask our Pharmacist team to source an alternative.

Find a pharmacy near you

Urgent requests for medication will only be considered from the medications listed below; no other medications will be treated as ‘urgent’. This is a decision made by the GP partners to ensure safe prescribing. The Care Navigation team cannot override this decision.


It is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that they are requesting their repeat prescriptions in a timely manner to ensure that they do not run out of their regular medications.
 
Inhalers
Epilepsy medication
Insulin
GTN spray
Blood thinners – e.g. warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, clexane, clopidogrel
Water tablets- e.g. Furosemide, Bumetanide
Transplant medication for transplant patients (if normally supplied by primary care)
Hydrocortisone tablets or long term prednisolone
Epipen (or similar auto-injectable adrenaline preparations)
Medication for Parkinson’s disease – e.g. Sinimet, Madopar, Stalevo
Antipsychotics- Quetiapine (biquelle), olanzapine, risperidone. Amisulpiride, aripiprazole, chlorpromazine 
Palliative care meds
 
Urgent prescriptions will be sent electronically to the patient’s nominated pharmacy by 5:30pm on weekdays.
 
Hospital requests
 
If you have an urgent request for medication from the hospital, this should have been provided to you by the hospital either through the hospital pharmacy or by a prescription given to you in the outpatients department or upon discharge. Unless it is a medication listed above, you will need to make contact with your consultant (normally via their secretary) or the ward to obtain a supply of the medication.
 
If you have given a routine request for medication from the hospital, this will take 2 working days, in line with the normal routine repeat prescription process.

Thank you for your understanding.

If you have a repeat prescription, we may ask you to come in for a regular review. We will be in touch when you need to come in for a review.

If you have been identified as someone who needs to carry the new Steroid Emergency Card, follow the link for more information including a card that can be printed or ways to obtain an original card.
www.addisonsdisease.org.uk/news/new-nhs-steroid-card-released

There is also further information here: https://www.friarsgatepractice.nhs.uk/steroid-card/

Take it to the pharmacy you got it from or bring it in to the surgery. Do not put it in your household bin or flush it down the toilet.

Opioids provide pain relief by acting on areas in the spinal cord and brain to block the transmission of pain signals. Opioids are considered to be some of the strongest painkillers available and are used to treat pain after surgery, serious injury and cancer. Examples of these include codeine, dihydrocodeine and co-codamol (which contains paracetamol and codeine).

What dose of opioid should I take?

The correct dose of any medicine is the lowest dose that produces a noticeable benefit. It is not usual to get complete relief of pain from opioids. Your GP may recommend an “opiate trial” for 2-3 weeks, then review if the benefits of taking the medication outweigh the risks. You should always take the correct dose of prescribed medicines. If you feel the dose isn’t enough, or if the side effects interfere with your life, discuss this with your GP.

What are the possible side effects?

When you first start taking opioids you can get some side effects, which usually stop after a few days. These include:
feeling dizzy
feeling sick (nausea)
being sick (vomiting)
feeling sleepy If pain has affected your sleep, opioids may help you to recover your normal pattern of sleep, but they should not make you drowsy in the daytime. Opioid medicines can cause some problems when you take them for long periods of time.
These problems include:
constipation*
itching
weight gain
lack of sex drive
* This is common when taking opioids and does not tend to go away the longer you take opioid medicines. You may need to try laxatives to treat constipation.

Can I drink alcohol?

Alcohol and opioids both can cause sleepiness and poor concentration. You should avoid alcohol completely when you first start on opioids or when your dose has just been increased.

Will my body get used to opioid medicines?

Opioids can become less effective with time (this is called tolerance) meaning your body has got used to the pain relieving effect of the medicine. You can also become dependent on opioid medicines (dependence).

What about addiction to opioids?

It is rare for people in pain to become addicted to opioids. People who are addicted to opioids can:
feel out of control about how much medicine they take or how often they take it
crave the drug
continue to take the drug even when it has a negative effect on their physical or mental health

Can I take this medicine long-term?

While opioids can have a positive benefit for some people living with long-term pain they can have serious consequences when they are not providing sufficient benefit or are being taken in a manner that was not intended. It is important to consider the risks and benefits of continued opioid therapy with your prescriber on a regular basis. Recent medical literature suggests that the risks to your health increase significantly when prescribing opioids at high doses for a long period of time.

About pharmacists

As qualified healthcare professionals, pharmacists can offer advice on minor illnesses such as:

  • coughs
  • colds
  • sore throats
  • tummy trouble
  • aches and pains

They can also advise on medicine that you can buy without a prescription.

Find a pharmacy near you

Many pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. You do not need an appointment.

Most pharmacies have a private consultation. You can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.