There are several ways to get an emergency prescription when you have run out of your repeat prescription:
- Call 111 or visit 111 online
- Walk into a local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist
But what’s the best option for you, right now, read on and find out.
Call 111, or visit 111 Online for an emergency prescription
- The 111 online system is programmed to determine that you are asking for repeat medications.
- Using 111 Online, you don’t have to wait on the phone to speak to 111 or for a callback.
- You also get a choice of booking an appointment at any late-night or extended-hours pharmacies near to you [if there are any]
- Using 111 Online, your emergency prescription will also be free.
Visit a local pharmacy to ask for an emergency prescription
- Visit your local pharmacy – if you already have repeat prescriptions and have run out, you can go to a Pharmacy, and they can look up your past prescriptions online on the NHS Electronic Prescription Service.
- Also take an empty drug packet or prescription with you, or show your prescriptions on the NHS App.
- Supermarket pharmacies tend to open longer than other Pharmacies, or you can go to your local duty pharmacist [community pharmacies take turns to open for longer].
- The pharmacist may agree to issue you a short emergency prescription to cover you until you can get one from your GP – this may be chargeable, even if your prescriptions are usually free
- You can find Pharmacies near you and their opening times on the NHS.UK website. , or via Google Maps
- Here’s a guide on the NHS on how to ask a pharmacist for medicines without a current prescription.UK website
What if the medicines you need are not on repeat prescription?
If you don’t have an existing repeat prescription, you can either:
- Call 111 or visit 111 online and receive a call back to discuss your options
- Prescriptions for some minor illnesses are covered under the ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme and you can walk into a Pharmacy to discuss with the Pharmacist if you can get treatment for the following problems:
- Acute otitis media*
- Impetigo
- Infected insect bites
- Shingles
- Sinusitis
- Sore throat
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infections
Make it easier next time to get your repeat prescriptions – order online
I use the NHS App [and other apps] to order my prescriptions from my GP online. No waiting on the phone, popping down to the surgery and queueing with sick people. Once it’s set up, it’s dead easy and can be done from a computer, and you don’t have to use a smartphone.
