PRESCRIPTIONS ADVICE
Repeat prescriptions
In the interest of safety and accuracy, prescription requests are not taken over the telephone.
If you are able to, please use the NHS App to manage your repeat prescriptions.
Alternatively, you can e-mail your repeat prescription requests to: hiowicb-hsi.stfrancis.prescriptions@nhs.net
If you cannot order your repeat prescription any other way, then you may drop off your request using the outer letterbox at the St Francis or Park surgery sites.
Please ensure you have nominated a local pharmacy for us to send the prescriptions to electronically - you can do this using the NHS app or by speaking to your pharmacist or GP surgery directly.
At present we need seven working days’ notice for the production of a repeat prescription.
Contraceptive pill requests
If you would like to obtain the the combined contraceptive pill, progesterone only pill (mini-pill) or emergency contraception, please attend your local pharmacy.
HRT pre-payment certificate
You can buy an HRT prepayment certificate for £19.30 (the cost of two single items). This will cover your HRT prescriptions for up to 12 months. If you wish to benefit from the potential savings offered by this certificate, please either contact your pharmacy directly, or call 0300 330 2089, or follow the link.
Help with prescription costs
Although most NHS treatment is free, there are still some costs you might need to pay, for example, to get your prescriptions or to travel to your hospital appointment.
Find out how you could get help to pay for these costs.
Accessing a prescription when the surgery is closed
Please visit the NHS website for information on how to access prescription medication outside of normal working hours.
Pharmacy Delivery Services and Dosette Boxes
Several local pharmacies offer medication delivery services and may also be able to arrange the medication to be put into a dosette box for their clients - please contact your pharmacy directly to organise this directly.
Annual Medication Reviews
When your medication review is due, as indicated by the date on your repeat prescription, please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment (telephone or face to face) to avoid unnecessary delays in getting future prescriptions. Often, the GP will deal with this remotely, so please supply any information that feel would be helpful in facilitating this (eg book a monitoring blood test, supply us your latest blood pressure, height, weight, smoking status and alcohol consumption data).
Diazepam and Flying - Please don't ask!
At Park & St Francis Surgery, we will not prescribe Diazepam, or other sedative medication, to manage fear of flying. This is in keeping with both local and national guidelines as well as the policies of other local GP practices. We have made this decision due to the following reasons:
1. Diazepam is a sedative which typically impairs your conscious level, impairs judgement, ability to perform tasks, ability to concentrate, abiliity to follow instructions or react appropriately. This would adversly affect the safety of both you and people around you in an emergency situation.
2. During the unatural non-REM sleep that sedatives often provoke, movements are reduced increasing the risk of developing blood clots (DVT).
3. Benzodiazepines will occasionally cause paradoxical agressive and disinhibited behaviour response, which may impact your safety and the safety of fellow passengers.
4. National and local prescribing guidelines don’t permit the use of benzodiazepines for phobias such as fear of flying. Doctors prescribing diazepam for fear of flying will be exposing themselves to potential future medico-legal litigation.
5. In many countries, posession of sedative medications such as diazepam are illegal. Being caught in posession of illegal substances continues to result in prosecution of UK Nationals whilst abroad, even when it has been prescribed by a Doctor.
6. Diazepam has a long "half-life". This relates to the time it stays in your system, and you may not be safe to drive, operate machinery or fail random drug testing for a significant period of time after having taken the medication.
Instead of using medication, we recommend you complete a Fear of Flying Course, these are offered by several airlines, see below.
Fear of Flying Courses
Easy Jet
www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com A free downloadable e-book is available or on line courses from £89
Tel: 0203 8131644
British Airways
http://flyingwithconfidence.com/courses/venues On line courses are available from £79.99
Tel: 01252 793 250 Virgin Atlantic
https://flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/collections Face to face courses are available at various airports with prices from £267
Tel: 01423 714900 1252250
