Serial Prescribing

If your current medication is stable and used regularly, our practice pharmacists may decide to prescribe you a serial prescription. A serial prescription is a prescription for medicine(s) you need long-term. It looks like a normal prescription but is kept at your pharmacy and lasts for 6 or 12 months.

You will still get your medicine supply every 4 or 8 weeks from your pharmacy as usual but there is no need to request a prescription for these items from the practice. You can let your pharmacy know if you need to collect your prescription earlier than normal or if you need more than usual if, for example, you are going on holiday. Each time a  prescription is collected a message will be sent automatically to the GP practice and added to your medical record.

The serial prescription can only be dispensed at the pharmacy where it is started. When you first pick up your medicine, they will register you and check that you are happy with your current medicine(s). At the end of the prescription your pharmacy will request a new prescription directly from the GP practice and you might be invited for a review at  the practice before your next serial prescription is issued.

Please note that items prescribed to you which are not on serial prescription will still need to be ordered from your GP practice via your usual medication ordering procedure. This could be items such as creams, controlled drugs and medicines you don’t use regularly.

If you move surgery or pharmacy, please let  us know so that we can cancel or amend your serial prescription.

For more information serial prescribing please go to: https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-medicines-care-review-service-local-pharmacy/