From request to collection: The journey of your repeat prescription
Healthwatch North Yorkshire regularly hears from people who are frustrated when their prescription is not ready as quickly as they expected. From the patient perspective, it can feel like a simple request. In reality, repeat prescriptions pass through several stages involving different professionals and systems.
Understanding how this process works can help explain where delays can happen and why ordering in good time makes a difference.
What really happens when you order your repeat prescription?
Ordering a repeat prescription can feel simple from the patient side – a few clicks or a quick visit to the GP surgery. But behind the scenes, there are several steps and a number of people involved. Understanding this journey can help explain why prescriptions sometimes take longer than expected.
Day 1: Realising you need more medication
You notice you’re running low on a regular medicine and request a repeat prescription. This might be done through an online system or app, or by dropping a paper request into your GP surgery.
Once submitted, your request is received by the surgery. If sent later in the day, it may not be processed until the next working day.
Day 2: Processing at the GP surgery
GP surgeries deal with large volumes of correspondence every day. Your prescription request is reviewed alongside emails, letters and test results.
At this stage:
- The request is checked to ensure it’s appropriate
- If no medication review is needed, the prescription is prepared for authorisation
- A GP must still sign it off before it can be released
Some GP systems will notify you that your prescription has been issued, but this doesn’t always mean it has been fully signed yet.
Many medications require periodic reviews. Some online systems alert you to this when you order, but sometimes it only becomes apparent later. If a review is due, the GP may issue a short supply to keep you going until an appointment can be arranged. If you’ve ordered several medications, only those needing review may be delayed.
Once signed, the prescription is sent electronically to the NHS digital system known as the Spine, which securely stores key information, including your nominated pharmacy.
Depending on timing, this stage may take you to the end of day two, or into day three.
Day 3 or 4: Your pharmacy receives the prescription
When pharmacy staff start work, they sometimes log into their systems and download prescriptions from the NHS spine. Depending on the pharmacy, this could be dozens or hundreds of prescriptions each day.
Each prescription is checked carefully to ensure:
- It is legally valid
- The medicine is appropriate
- The pharmacy is able to supply it
Stock is then checked:
- If the medicine is available, it is labelled, assembled and prepared for collection
- If not, it must be ordered from the supplier
Delivery of out-of-stock items can take up to two-working days (if the supplier has it in stock). In these cases, the whole process, from request to supply, could take around a week.
The work doesn’t stop there
Once medicines are supplied, pharmacy teams must complete claims for payment and record the services provided. This involves completing at least one form, and often two or more adding to the workload behind the counter.
Why are medicine shortages becoming more common?
At any given time, pharmacies may struggle to source 100 to 150 different medicines. National shortages can occur for many reasons, including manufacturing and increased demand.
Community pharmacies also compete with private providers for limited stock. As private pharmacies can sometimes pay more, suppliers may prioritise those orders.
What if your community pharmacy can’t get your medication?
Because community pharmacies use different suppliers, another local pharmacy may have stock. You can:
- Phone nearby pharmacies to check availability
- Ask your pharmacy to provide a prescription token, so it can be taken elsewhere.
Why don’t community pharmacies keep more stock?
Even small pharmacies typically hold £30,000-£50,000 worth of medicines. Limited space, short expiry dates and financial pressures mean it isn’t possible to stock everything.
What happens if prescriptions aren’t collected?
Most medicines can only be returned to suppliers within three working days. Refrigerated medicines and controlled drugs cannot be returned at all.
If you know you won’t collect a prescription, letting the pharmacy know promptly may allow commonly used medicines to be supplied to another patient instead of being wasted.
How you can support your local community pharmacy:
- Order repeat prescriptions in good time (14 days)
- Only request medicines you are still taking
- Be patient, especially early in the day
- Keep track of medication reviews and book them in good time when needed.
Community pharmacies play a vital role across North Yorkshire, often under significant pressure. A little understanding can go a long way in helping them continue to support local communities.
Why this matters
Repeat prescriptions involve coordinated work between GP surgeries, the NHS and community pharmacies. Each stage includes safety checks to make sure the right medicine reaches the right person.
If you are experiencing ongoing problems accessing your medication, you can share your experience with Healthwatch North Yorkshire so it can help inform local decision makers.
Acknowledgement
Healthwatch North Yorkshire would like to thank local community pharmacists across York and North Yorkshire, as well as Community Pharmacy North Yorkshire, for helping to explain the prescription process and contributing to this information.
Community Pharmacy North Yorkshire is the local representative body for community pharmacy contractors. It supports pharmacies across the county, represents their interests and works with NHS organisations and partners to improve pharmacy services for patients.
