Prescription Collection Timeline Guidance
Covid restrictions remain in place in Health Care and Community Pharmacy settings. Requests for prescribed medicines is higher than ever, and we and our Community Pharmacy colleagues are working hard to deliver this increased demand despite workforce challenges.
Our Community Pharmacy colleagues have updated their dispensing timeline as shown below and we have included our practices collection timelines:
- Repeat medication – Collection from Pharmacy – 5 working days from date of request.
- Repeat medication – Collection from GP practice – 2 working days from date of request.
- Non-Urgent medication issued from video/telephone consultation – Collection from pharmacy – 3 working days from date of consultation.
- Non-Urgent medication issued from video/telephone consultation – Collection from GP practice – Same day as consultation (Please allow minimum of 2 hours before collection).
- Urgent medication issued from video/telephone consultation – Collection from pharmacy (Subject to clinician authorising phone through to pharmacy) – 3 hours from the request being received/accepted by the pharmacy.
- Urgent medication issued from video/telephone consultation – Collection from GP practice – Same day (Timescale for collection agreed between patient and clinician).
Unfortunately as many as 84% of pharmacy staff have experienced verbal abuse during the pandemic, mostly in relation to unrealistic expectations about dispensing times.
Please keep the above timescales in mind when you require medication. Earlier expectations create avoidable pressure and disrupts the smooth running for all parties involved.
July 19th, 2022