If the doctor decides that medication is required or changes your medication and it is necessary to start immediately, you will be given a prescription for not less than two weeks supply from the hospital. After this time you will need to get a further supply from your GP.
Prescription charges
Valid from April 2009
1. Prescription items £7.20 per item
Pharmacy will usually accept payment either in cash or cheque, preferably supported by a cheque guarantee card.
If you have to pay a prescription charge while you are waiting for your pre-payment certificate, you cannot get a refund unless you get an NHS receipt form (an FP57 - issued by Pharmacy) AND your new certificate covers the date you paid the charge. When you apply, you can ask for your pre-payment certificate to be backdated up to one month.
The pharmacist can only issue an FP57 at the time you pay a prescription charge; we cannot give you one later. The FP57 tells you how to get a refund.
2. Pre-payment certificate
If you have regular prescriptions of more than 4 prescription items in 3 months or 14 in 12 months, buying a pre-payment certificate could save you money.
Please check whether you can get free prescriptions before filling in an application (see point 4 below).
3 months £28.25 1 year £104.00
3. Application forms (FP95) are available from pharmacy and now have to be forwarded with a cheque to:
NHS Business Services Authority,
PPC Issue Office,
P.O.Box 854,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
NE99 2DE.
Also change Certificates to pre-payment Certificates can be purchased by credit or debit card by telephoning 0845 850 0030.
4. Exemptions
a) The following patients are exempt from prescription charges:
- Under 16 years of age
- Are 16, 17 or 18 AND in full-time education
- Over 60 years of age
- Have a maternity exemption certificate
- Have a pre-payment certificate
- Have a War Pension exemption certificate
- Is named on a current HC2 charge certificate
- Gets Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Have, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
- Have a partner who gets Pension credit guarantee credit
- Prescribed a free-of-charge contraceptive.
Pharmacy will ask for evidence of exception, on receiving a prescription.
b) Some medical conditions warrant an exemption certificate being
issues, after the patient is diagnosed with one of the following medical
conditions:
- Permanent fistula (ie caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy, ileostomy)
- Epilepsy needing continuous anticonvulsive therapy
- Diabetes mellitus, which is not just controlled by diet alone
- Myxoedema, or other condition needing thyroid hormone
- Hypoparathyroidism
- Diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism
- Hypoadrealism (including Addisons disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential
- Myasthenia gravis
- Physical disability meaning the person cannot go out unaided. Temporary disabilities do not count, even if they last several months.
For all the above conditions, the application form (FP92A - available from Pharmacy) need to be signed by the diagnosing doctor.
5. Any forms to do with surgical hosiery or appliances must come from that department.
6. If an FP10(HP) prescription form (FP10) is issued please ask the patient to take it to their community pharmacy, as it states on the form.
7. We do not dispense ANY prescriptions from GP surgeries, or other hospitals.
8. No private prescriptions are dispensed in the pharmacy.
