Should You Order Your Prescriptions Early Before A Bank Holiday?

With the spring and summer months filled with a number of bank holidays, most people are typically making arrangements for how they want to spend their time away from work or school, but before they do there is one action they should take now if they have a repeat prescription.

If your GP has advised that you are going to take more than one course of a given medicine, they will typically set up a repeat prescription to make it easier for you to get the medication you need if you are running low.

Generally, your pharmacy will work on your repeat prescription as soon as possible and many pharmacies can either offer or signpost a reminder service to ensure that you receive it before your medication supply runs low.

Exactly how long it takes can vary on a few factors, such as the type of medication, whether you need to provide additional information for certain prescriptions, whether you get it delivered or collect it from your pharmacy, as well as the general availability of certain medicines.

Typically it takes two days, but it is advised to order them seven days in advance just to make sure you have them, especially if you need GP approval.

However, there are a few times in the year when it is best to order your prescriptions earlier than usual, and that is around bank holidays. Whilst Christmas, New Year and Easter have already been and gone, there are still some more holidays to come.

On bank holidays, GP’s offices and some pharmacies will be closed, and in the run-up to a bank holiday weekend, there will be a lot more requests for repeat prescriptions than usual, which can sometimes cause delays in getting your medication.

Generally, if this is the reason for an early repeat prescription order, it will typically be approved early, but there are other reasons why you might need a repeat prescription and as these might require a consultation with your GP, getting in touch as soon as possible is essential.

If you do run out of your prescribed medicine and need it urgently, an emergency prescription can be an option in some cases.

If you already have a prescription and need the medication, you can visit any pharmacy and if they have it in stock they will dispense your medication.

In other cases, the NHS 111 service can provide non-emergency medical advice if your usual pharmacy is closed, such as on a bank holiday or outside of typical opening hours.

Community pharmacists will usually carry out a few face-to-face checks and confirm that you have been prescribed the medicine before and to make sure it is the most appropriate dose. If you have a copy of your repeat prescription or the packaging of your prescription medicine that usually has the information they need.

This means they can provide a 30-day supply of the most common prescription medication, a tube of topical medication or an inhaler, depending on the particular medicine you need.

The best way to avoid this, however, is to order as soon as possible, and your local community pharmacy will help you every step of the way.