Did you know the NHS spends around £300 million per year on unused and over ordered medication?
Practices in Greater Manchester will be moving to Patient-led ordering from the 1st October.
This means pharmacies will no longer be able to order medication on your behalf.
We no longer accept medication requests over the phone except for vulnerable or housebound patients.
Purpose of the change
This change aims to:
- reduce medicine waste. Current arrangements mean that many medicines are routinely ordered but not needed
- give you better control over the ordering of your own medication
- improve safety by avoiding stockpiling of medication and prevent medication that has been stopped from being re-ordered by mistake
- save practice time (especially if prescriptions are ordered online) with less time spent chasing and processing prescriptions.
How can patients order their medication?
You can order repeat medication in one of the following ways:
- Online via the GP practice online ordering process or the NHS App – this is the safest and easiest way
- Via the repeat prescription box at the GP practice
- Via post to the GP practice using the repeat prescription slip
Exceptions to the change
The exception will be patients who are unable to order their medication by any of the recommended routes, are vulnerable, and/or housebound.
We will should work closely with pharmacies to ensure patients who require additional assistance (Assisted Patients) get the necessary care and specific policies geared to their personal needs.
This could mean that pharmacies continue to order on behalf of some patients, where all parties agree this is the best solution for a particular individual.
