Online 

You can now see and access your prescriptions electronically in the NHS App, allowing you to:

• easily see the details of medicines/ items healthcare professionals have confirmed for you
• use a prescription barcode to collect your medicine if you don’t have a nominated pharmacy, without needing to collect a paper prescription

For help and support, click the image to be taken to the NHS Precriptions help page.

In Person

Please place your repeat prescription request in the box provided at Risborough or Chinnor.

Post

Please post your repeat prescription request to the surgery. (Please enclose a self addressed envelope if you would like your prescription sent back to you). Cross Keys Practice, 60 High Street, Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 0AX

Email

You can email your request in by clicking here and filling out the prescription request form. Once completed, email to crosskeys@nhs.net

We are unable to accept prescription requests over the phone

Please allow 3 working days for the surgery to process your request.

Hospital provided medication

Please note that any urgent medication will be prescribed and provided by the hospital.

For routine (non-urgent) medication, your hospital may send a request to us to raise a prescription.  If approved by your GP, please note that these routine medication requests may take up to 10 working days to process. 

To find your nearest pharmacy and to view opening times click here.

When urgent medication is requested, we must establish whether it is the fault of the practice, and the script was not issued as requested, or the patient has left the request too late.

If the practice establishes that this is not an error on the practices part, we must check against the provided list of medications classed by the practice as urgent. If the prescription is an urgent medication, it will be sent to the pharmacy of your choice that same day. If it is not, please allow the standard 3 working days for it to be issued.

For further information please view our Urgent Prescription Protocol.

EPS2 allows patients to nominate a chosen pharmacy to receive their prescriptions electronically instead of using paper prescriptions. You can nominate a pharmacy either by telling a member of the pharmacy staff, or by completing a form at reception. You are free to change your pharmacy whenever you like. You can also collect your medication whilst on holiday as all pharmacies have the ability to download your prescription. All you need to do is tell them your nominated pharmacy.

The Practice uses an electronic system to request the script; the doctor signs it electronically and sends it electronically to the pharmacy over a secure network. They then download the prescription and dispense the medication. No more bits of paper, no lost prescriptions and a clear audit trail.

Unfortunately not all prescriptions are able to be sent electronically. Any private prescriptions, controlled drugs prescriptions etc. must be collected from the surgery.

Treatment can be bought 'over the counter' from pharmacists who are highly qualified and able to give advice.  The medications are often cheaper than the prescription fee which will save money if you usually pay for your prescriptions.  If there is doubt over the diagnosis or you are not responding to over the counter treatment a doctor will always be happy to advise further. These conditions include:

Acne, Athlete's foot, Cold sores, Conjunctivitis, Constipation, Corns, Coughs and colds, Cystitis (in adult females), Dandruff and cradle cap, Dermatitis, Diarrhoea, Ear wax, Eczema, Headache, Heartburn, Haemorrhoids (piles), Hay fever (packs of 30 antihistamine tablets now available for less than prescription fee), Insect bites and stings, Morning after pill (emergency contraception), Migraine, Muscular pain, Nicotine replacement therapy, Scabies, Sore throat, Thrush, Travel Sickness, Warts and Verrucae

These charges apply in England only. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.

• Prescription (per item): £9.90
• 12-month Prepayment Certificate: £114.50
• 3-month Prepayment Certificate: £32.05

If you need to pay for four or more prescription items in three months or more than 14 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a Prepayment Certificate.

For more information on Prepayment Certificates click here

Help with NHS costs

In England, around 90% of prescription items are dispensed free. This includes exemptions from charging for those on low incomes, such as:

• those on specific benefits or through the NHS Low Income Scheme
• those who are age exempt
• those with certain medical conditions

More information is available here

Can my GP prescribe extra medication to cover my holiday?

If you need medication for a long-term health condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, you may be able to get an extra supply of medication to cover your time away.

You'll need to obtain a prescription from your GP, who will consider factors such as:

• the type of medication you're taking
• restrictions on specific medicines in the country you're visiting
• how long you're away

Will my GP prescribe medication in case I’m ill when I’m away?

Discuss this with your GP. They will only give you an NHS prescription if they think that you need the medication. They don’t have to give you an NHS prescription just because you think you should have the medication. 

How much medication can I take?

If you need regular medication for a stable long-term health condition, your GP may prescribe a maximum supply of three months. If you’re taking a course of medication that’s due to end during your holiday, then get advice from your GP. They may be able to give you a repeat prescription. However, this will depend on, for example:

• how long your GP thinks you’ll continue to need your medication
• how often your treatment needs to be reviewed

What if i'm abroad for more than three months?

If you’re going abroad for more than three months, your GP may prescribe medication to cover the journey until you can make arrangements to get it at your destination by:

• registering with a doctor in the country you’re in
• buying the medication from a pharmacist

How much will my prescription be?

Prescriptions will be issued seperately, rather than a bulk 3 month supply. If you pay for your prescriptions, you will need to pay £9.90 per item.

Please click the link below for BOBICB guidance which applies to all GP Practices in Buckinghamshire.

https://www.bucksoxonberksw.icb.nhs.uk/media/5050/bob-icb-primary-care-guidance-for-travelling-abroad.pdf

Cross Keys does NOT prescribe sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice. The reasons for this can be found below:

1) Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.

2) Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than four hours.

3) Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and in aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.

4) According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed)  in phobia. Your doctor is taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.

5) Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.

6) Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines and we have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com Tel 0203 8131644

Cross Keys does NOT prescribe sedatives for patients undergoing hospital procedures. This includes imaging such as MRI and CT scans. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice. 

We would highlight the following:

1. Benzodiazepines such at 2mg diazepam are probably sub-therapeutic for most adults for any effective sedation.  Conversely anxiolytics can have an idiosyncratic response in patients, and even very small doses can cause increased agitation in some groups of patients.
2. A patient may take a sedative ‘an hour’ before their assumed procedure, to then attend the hospital to find their procedure has been delayed, therefore the timing of the anxiolytic being sub optimal.
3. GPs are not regularly involved, skilled, trained or appraised in sedation skills.
4. Hospital consultants have access to the same prescribing abilities as GPs. If a patient needs a certain medication to enable an investigation to go ahead, they are best positioned to provide a prescription, either through the hospital pharmacy or a hospital prescription.

To help patients avoid situations where they are not adequately sedated for a procedure or are unmonitored due to the procedure team being unaware of consumed sedation provided by general practice, we would decline requests even if the hospital asks to do so for prescribing in those circumstances.