Batch or Repeat Dispensing

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a request to my Practice?

To make a request to your Practice select the service that you require.

You will be prompted for information about your request. When you complete a request this will be sent to your practice. The system acknowledges that your request has been sent and will let you know what happens next.

The Practice handles the requests during their normal working day, i.e. if you send a request on Friday pm the Practice won’t normally see it until Monday morning.

How do I receive the responses from the Practice?

On some services, such as Ask the Practice a question and Ask the Doctor a question once the Practice has processed your request they will send you a response. This response will be sent to the email address that you have given in the form.

For security purposes the email will ask that you verify your identification. Once you have completed this the message from the surgery will be shown for you to read.

Security of your information

This service always uses fully encrypted connections, the same security as used in internet banking. If you look at the right of the address bar, you will see a small padlock icon. This indicates that you are using a secure link and that your data is encrypted.

As an additional measure your information is held encrypted until the practice need to view it. It is then sent to the practice still encrypted and only converted to readable text at the practice.

Tracking users

We track how you use our Digital Practice but we don’t collect or store your personal information (e.g. your name or address) while you’re browsing. This means that you can’t be personally identified. We use Google Analytics software to track:

The pages you visit

How long you use the site

How you got to the site and what links you clicked on.

We haven’t given Google permission to share this data with anyone else.

How is the Digital Practice updated?

We are continuously working on this site to make sure that the information is accurate and up to date. The digital practice is also continuously updated based on the results of user testing, feedback from members of the public and from your practice and other practices who are using this system.

Suggestions for improvement of the Digital Practice

We are always looking for ways to improve this service and would welcome your suggestions. Please send your comments to suggestions@siliconpractice.co.uk

Links to external sites

Digital Practice links to external organisations when that service is essential for helping a patient complete a task or when helping patients find a service.

Studies in the UK and abroad have shown significant savings and a reduction in waste with 28-day prescribing.

Please watch the above video where our Clinical Pharmacists, Graham and Bianca explain how batch prescribing works.

To make it easier for you to collect your medications on a 28 or 56 day cycle we shall be issuing prescriptions of regular medications using “Batch Prescribing also known as Repeat Dispensing”.

Your doctor will provide you with a prescription for an interval that they believe to be most clinically appropriate for you, taking into account all sort of issues, such as how stable your condition is, how long they expect you to take the medicine for, any side effects you may experience, whether or not your medicine may change in the future, and any monitoring required. For some patients on certain medicines at a stable dose (e.g. contraceptives & HRT), your doctor may decide it is appropriate to issue prescriptions for prescribing intervals longer than 56 days and for medicines that are taken “as required” or for creams and certain inhalers your medicines may only be available on the normal repeat basis when you will make the request in the usual way either via the NHS app, our online services or in writing by post.

Batch or Repeat Dispensing will allow your GP to issue up to 12 months of medicines that you are taking on a regular basis in one go. This will be sent to your pharmacy electronically. When you are about to run out of your medicines towards the end of the 28 or 56 day cycle all you need to do is contact your pharmacy for a further one month’s supply without the need to contact your surgery. Pharmacies have slightly different processes for this so please discuss with your pharmacy.

You will of course still have to comply with NHS regulations for a periodic, usually annual, medication review and any regular checks up that you may need.

This policy is at the discretion of individual doctors to be implemented when appropriate for suitable patients.

Most patients collecting repeat prescriptions do not pay prescription charges; therefore there will be no difference to these patients in terms of cost due to 28-day prescribing. If you do have to pay prescription charges, then it may be beneficial for you to buy a Prescription Prepayment Certificate especially if you are taking 3 or more medicines on a regular basis – ask your pharmacist for more information or contact the NHS Business Services Authority on 0845 850 0030.

For more information on how this works, please see the Repeat Dispensing Scheme Patient Information Leaflet.

You may wish to purchase a pre-payment certificate. For more information, please see www.gov.uk/get-a-ppc.

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Make online requests to your GP Practice such as:

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a request to my Practice?

How do I receive the responses from the Practice?

Security of your information

Tracking users

How is the Digital Practice updated?

Suggestions for improvement of the Digital Practice

Links to external sites

Submit self-monitoring health reviews
(if requested by the doctor or nurse):