Patients urged to plan ahead for Easter prescriptions

Members of the general public who may need repeat prescriptions are being urged by the NHS to plan ahead and order them in advance of the Easter bank holidays.

Pharmacies and NHS services traditionally experience an increase in demand for repeat and emergency prescriptions because patients fear they are running out of medication.

Last year over Easter NHS 111 received more than double the number of calls from people across the North West who needed to order repeat prescriptions – 4,176 calls compared with 1,645 the previous weekend.

“If you take regular medications to manage a condition, don’t wait for your prescription to run out before making a request, as it can take time for your request to be processed by your GP practice and dispensed by your pharmacy, " explained Susanne Lynch MBE, Chief Pharmacist for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.

“This is especially true during busy periods such as Easter, which is why we’re asking people to order their repeat prescriptions by Friday 11 April – earlier if possible – to avoid the risk of running out of vital medication during the bank holidays.

“Before making a request, please check what medicines you have at home and only order what you need to avoid unnecessary medicine waste, which costs the NHS around £300 million annually.”

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside are recommending that any repeat prescriptions that are due over the Easter weekend – from Good Friday (18 April) to Easter Monday (21 April) – people should place their orders by Friday 11 April at the latest to ensure they can be processed and collected in time.

They suggest using the NHS App, which is a quick and easy way of ordering medication at a time that’s convenient for the patient who are also able to choose which pharmacy they would like to use. It can also be used to book and cancel appointments at their GP practice, view their health records and get trusted NHS information and health advice on hundreds of conditions and treatments.

Dr Fiona Lemmens, Deputy Medical Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “Many pharmacies will be closed or operating on reduced hours on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, making it more challenging for patients to access medicines at short notice.

“GP practices will also be closed during the bank holidays, so planning ahead by ordering your repeat prescriptions in good time will avoid you having to use urgent or emergency services over the break, which can put added pressure on already busy NHS services.

“If you need urgent health advice while your GP practice is closed and aren’t sure what to do, make NHS 111 online your first port of call.”

Urgent and emergency care services will be open over Easter. You should call 999 or visit accident and emergency (A&E) in the event of a life or limb threatening emergency. For urgent health advice that isn’t an emergency, go to 111.nhs.uk, call 111 or access NHS 111 via the NHS App. 

To find your nearest pharmacy and check their opening times please visit the pharmacy section of the NHS website.