Prescriptions

The best way to order your medication is online via the NHS app. You can download the NHS app free via your app store. Once you are registered you just need to click on ‘Request repeat prescriptions’ and your repeat medication will be available to order.

Download this user guide that shows you how to order your repeat prescription via the NHS App.

You can also order medication by marking what you need from the tear-off repeat slip on your last prescription then posting it in to the white prescriptions box in reception.

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account.

Once the practice has processed your request please check with your local pharmacy as they will sometimes take up to seven days to process your order especially if they need to order in some of your medications that they might not have in stock.

We continue to not accept prescription requests over the phone, for reasons of safeguarding patient safety.

Prescriptions for new medication can only be issued following consultation with the Doctor, please submit a Patchs request.

Due to the increasing numbers of patients requesting their prescription on an urgent basis, the practice has needed to instate an Urgent Prescription Policy

• Requests for prescriptions outside the normal prescription protocol impacts significantly on both doctors, and administration staff time as well as increasing the risk of a medication prescribing error.
• Unless a medication is clinically urgent, requests will be processed routinely (over 2 working days).
• As a surgery, we require a minimum of 2 working days to process a patients request for medication routinely.

Please respect our staff

• Our reception and administrative staff are to always follow this policy and they are not authorised to make any exceptions.
• Staff are not allowed to interrupt the duty GP during surgery.
• This policy is put in place to protect our patients and our staff, and we will not tolerate any abuse to or of our staff as they are following policy.

Many medications can safely be missed for a few days.

• Urgent prescription requests are requests for emergency medication which are needed within 24 hours to prevent the patient from becoming seriously ill.
• Urgent prescription requests are not requests for medication which have been ordered late as it is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that repeat prescription requests are ordered in time.
• This will ensure safe prescribing and optimise access to the clinical team.

If you forget to order your repeat medication and run out of important medicines, you may be able to get help from a Pharmacy.

• Under the Urgent Provision of Repeat Medication Service, Pharmacists may be able to supply you with a further repeat of a previously repeated medicine, without having to get a prescription from your GP.
• If you have run out of important medication, telephone your usual Pharmacy to check that they offer this service; if they don’t, they may either direct you to a pharmacy who does provide it, or recommend 111 where you can request details of a local Pharmacy that provides the service.

Holiday Medication

• Holidays are generally booked in advance, therefore you should have plenty of time to request your medications in advance allowing the usual 2 days for the prescription to be processed.
• We can provide a maximum of 3 months medication if you are to be out of the country – on occasion we may require documentation to support this request.
• We aren’t able to provide emergency prescriptions for holiday medication.

We understand that a fear of flying is very real and can be extremely distressing. Many patients ask whether diazepam can be prescribed to help with this. After careful consideration, we do not prescribe diazepam or similar medications for fear of flying.

Why don’t we prescribe diazepam for flying?

1. Safety during a flight
Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and slows your reactions. If there was an emergency on a flight, this could affect your ability to understand instructions, react quickly, or keep yourself and others safe.

2. Increased risk of blood clots (DVT)
Sedatives cause an unnatural type of sleep where movement is reduced. This increases the risk of developing dangerous blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis). The risk is even higher on flights longer than 4 hours. Blood clots can be very serious and, in some cases, life‑threatening.

3. Possible unexpected reactions
While most people feel drowsy with diazepam, a small number of people experience the opposite effect. They may become agitated, disinhibited, or aggressive. This could put you, fellow passengers, and flight staff at risk and could potentially lead to legal problems.

4. National prescribing guidelines
Doctors must follow national guidelines when prescribing medication. These guidelines do not allow benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) to be prescribed for phobias, including fear of flying. Prescribing against this guidance carries significant legal and professional risks.
Diazepam is only licensed for short‑term use during a mental health crisis related to generalised anxiety. If anxiety is severe enough to require this type of medication, flying would not be advisable without proper mental health support.

5. Legal issues when travelling abroad
Diazepam is illegal or strictly controlled in some countries. Taking it overseas could result in the medication being confiscated, fines, or even arrest.

6. Long‑lasting effects
Diazepam stays in the body for a long time. This means you could fail workplace or airport drug testing if random testing applies to your job.

What are the alternatives?

We recognise how debilitating a fear of flying can be. However, there are much safer and more effective ways to manage it.

We strongly recommend Fear of Flying courses, which are run by several airlines. These courses:

• Are proven to be more effective than medication
• Do not have the risks or side effects associated with diazepam
• Help you build long‑lasting skills and confidence that continue after the course ends

If anxiety is affecting your daily life, we encourage you to book an appointment to discuss appropriate support and treatment options.