Is this the norm now re GPs/prescriptions

I have used RXLive for quite a few years. They do all the ordering and the meds are delivered by Royal Mail. I don't pay as my prescriptions are free due to age. The keep me informed of progress with the ordering via email.

Not a repeat prescription, but I was prescribed some medication that I needed to start urgently. Went to the ASDA pharmacy that I have down as my local and was told that it would take 3 days to be done as it was not antibiotics. I double checked with 3 different people and this is their policy now.

Ended up in hospital the next day, but never mind.

I request 14 days before I run out, 24 hours (except weekend to approve) 5 days to collect although via the gp app. I have two controlled drugs both the nhs gives you 28 pills for one a day per month - a month is not 28 days but at least 30. My GP gets around this by every August order me x2 months so I always have a month in hand and won’t run out. I have to remember to ask for x2 months in August but she then prescribes it and it works for the year! It’s life long and only going to increase as a dose so it’s not going to be wasted. She does the same with hrt I need x3 pumps per day and I wasn’t quite right with the repeats (running out before next ones due) so she ordered me x6 pumps rather than x3 the next time and said always keep one in reserve.

My surgery gives access on TPP SystmOnline or AirMid.

I routinely use Systm as that was the first app that they provided and because requesting repeat prescriptions are easily picked from a list - AirMid has some extra reports and charts for looking at result histories etc

(I also collect for a couple of others who use SystmOnline)

Between us when making a request it either estimates the available date as 3 days or one week depending on which of our surgeries they are. But both surgeries authorise on the first working day, and if urgent depending on exact timings the pharmacy can often dispense the same day as long as the batch processing of the NHS system shows up
I’ll typically aim for 2 days

The app shows the “cannot order before” date if applicable, or may show that a review is required
On occasion the medicine has disappeared from the list (this has happened for my mother a few times on one of hers as it’s taken when needed, and she may not need to re-request for some time - this then needs a message sent for the doctor to review and relist the item

If medicine is listed and takes time to be signed off then that will be the surgery process / workload
If not selectable without a reason then I’d recommend contacting them to ask (but from the look of it you may have a difficult surgery)

As Pharmacy4U has been mentioned, I used to use those myself for convenience instead of collecting. But I had a bad experience that after signing off from the GP the medicine just showed as pending from Pharmacy4U awaiting restock … in a couple of days, which kept on waiting. When calling I was “reassured” that it was about to be in stock … and then again just kept waiting. I ran out and had to get them to reject the prescription, get it represcribed manually and walk around all the local pharmacies - at one the pharmacist knew the real problem that the particular brand had a manufacturing problem and recommended the equivalent (which needed represcribing from the GP)
Needless to say I changed pharmacy to the one who knew what they were doing

A few months later I was called by the surgery to ask if I really need more because I had recently ordered and collected but Pharmacy4U had decided to submit a request on my behalf

Use online / postage pharmacies if it works for you but consider if it could ever be an issue to be on the end of a website and help desk to resolve an issue

Mine are great, sorry. Order via app, get notification. Pick up anytime via a kind of vending machine thing.

My surgery is nightmare, I’ve had up to 4 months before to get a routine bog standard prescription. Seriously considering leaving. They’ve also rejected 4 requests for GP appointments since late 2025 and I ended up in A&E the other weekend. Totally useless.

Actually just realised I don't order from the NHS app,I order from the GP surgery on line and that tells me when I can order more.

@Silverbirchleaf its all very well saying that but at our surgery there is a date you are allowed to order from and for my hrt & thyroxine its exactly 5 days before the date i run out

So if for any reason I can't get to the pharmacy (chronic illness).or im a day late ordering (brain fog) there is no flexibility its a nightmare for me

We use a rural GP surgery and they staff a pharmacy on site as the nearest one otherwise is about 10 miles either direction. They're very good and when you collect your prescription, they leave the next prescription stapled to the bag and if you ask, they put it into the diary for the next month. So we rarely run out.

It is a bit of a nightmare with DH's medication though as the cardiologist recently changed his dosages following a private review but this didn't make it onto his NHS notes so we've had a bit of stress of not having enough tablets for nearly a week. The system works well with what the GP prescribes, not with outside sources.

As a former prescription clerk, please DO Not leave it to the day you run before ordering meds. We used to say that the surgery had a 48 hour time period to process the prescription request, and then the pharmacy needs a further 48 hours. So that’s a minimum of four days, and it can be longer.

Also, people mention the online pharmacies such as P2U. When you send the request to them, the online pharmacy then sends the request to the GP surgery who process the request, and then it gets sent back to the online pharmacy, who then gets it sent to the patient.

Pharmacies can do antibiotics on the day they’ve been issued, but routine prescriptions can take longer.

I also use Pharmacy2U, never had any issues and have used them for years. My GP is great but after I ran out of medication for the third time because they kept saying the prescription was being sent to the local pharmacy but it simply wasn’t, I switched to them. I get a text when it’s time for my prescription and when I reach the point of needing a review, I get another text telling me to contact the doctor.

Does the surgery have a link for repeat subscriptions? That's what I use as direct rather than forwarded to the NHS app. Xx

It sounds like it's an issue specific to thw med - not on repeat due to some admin issue or needing you to submit some readings.

I've got multiple scripts on repeat - usually I give 5 days notice through the app. I hear the frustration though.

I agree that Pharmacy2U are good. If I recall correctly, they will also send reminder emails when it's time to re-order.

I just email my DH repeat prescriptions to the gp and they go to the pharmacy for collection, no problem.

My gp and pharmacy is really good pretty much same Day every time. The pharmacy if they don’t have the meds it’s always next morning.

My dad’s however is terrible. The gp take up to 5 days and the pharmacy also seem to add a week. God knows what they do if you need antibiotics at the pharmacy.

Don't think the OPs issue is about online pharmacies though?

gp’s vary in how good they are at coping with online pharmacies.

my DD’s gp in Newcastle is great - fully hooked in and she can send repeat requests via the pharmacy.

i live in east Anglia in the middle of nowhere and my gp has never heard of online pharmacies and has no idea if how to sort it.