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How to students get regular essential meds over long break when they are registered with GP at uni address?!

14 replies

Fretfulagain · 05/04/2026 16:48

how to students registered at GP at uni address get enough meds to last over long summer break? Will the GP issue for a longer period than usual?

dd just got stuck without meds because uni gp would not issue script before she came home for Easter. 111 finally came good but it has taken two days and many many calls.

how is it meant to work?

saga of last two days below for those with time for it!

DD1 is home from uni for ten days over Easter. She needs regular meds - v important and can’t be skipped. Uni GP would not issue repeat prescription early so she couldn’t get meds before she left Uni city to come home. She asked a friend who lives near us to pick them up from pharmacy at uni city but they forgot.
so she doesn’t have enough meds to last her until she can get to pharmacy near uni. Only a couple of days short but every dose is essential.
She calls 111 who send a ‘referral’ to pharmacy she used before she relocated to uni. They refused to issue it because she hasn’t had meds from them for more than three months and so they need a prescription rather than a referral.
Back to 111 who send script to local boots to be picked up today - Easter Sunday. DD handles all of this herself.
she is working this afternoon so I volunteer to pick up meds. Boots is closed. Not open until Tuesday (when DD travels back to Uni).

I call 111 again to explain and basically lose four hours on wild goose chases and end up sitting in a pharmacy for over two hours while 111 fail to understand the prescription needs reissuing and then, when I get to speak to a dr she first refuses to issue it because I am not the patient, then gives me a hard time for did allowing herself to run out of meds and then grudgingly issues enough to get dd to uni city.

the whole thing was frustrating and unpleasant.

And she’s not the only one - chatted to man in pharm with same condition as dad who had been without meds for three days and 111 had also sent him to pharm with a referral which they refused to honour etc etc

OP posts:
WednesdaysChild73 · 05/04/2026 16:58

Register with pharmacy2U and you can choose where to pick up meds from or delivered to home address

Fretfulagain · 05/04/2026 17:00

Aha thank you!

OP posts:
WednesdaysChild73 · 05/04/2026 17:04

Fretfulagain · 05/04/2026 17:00

Aha thank you!

You’re are welcome x

AuntyBulgaria · 05/04/2026 17:14

My GP can send the prescription to any pharmacy to pick up. So you order from registered GP and get them to send the prescription to local pharmacy.

firstofallimadelight · 05/04/2026 17:20

Yeah my dd requested prescription be sent to our local pharmacy (2 hours from uni) no issues

Newmeagain · 05/04/2026 17:22

I am not British so find this to be among the many odd aspects of the NHS - that you can only see a GP at the practice you are registered with. Particularly that most people don’t get to see the same GP every time anyway (real life not being like the Archers…).

Shrinkhole · 05/04/2026 17:42

Yes just ask uni GP to send the script to a local pharmacy. Everyone has electronic prescribing so it’s very easily done.

Fretfulagain · 05/04/2026 17:43

I hear you on The Archers front. 😊

it may be that part of the issue is we live in England but DD is at uni in Scotland. The pharmacy me toned that as one of the complicating aspect when I finally got meds.

she will check if Scottish GP can sent prescription to our local pharmacy.

thank you for the replies - MN is great! 😊

OP posts:
smilesy · 05/04/2026 17:47

Newmeagain · 05/04/2026 17:22

I am not British so find this to be among the many odd aspects of the NHS - that you can only see a GP at the practice you are registered with. Particularly that most people don’t get to see the same GP every time anyway (real life not being like the Archers…).

You can see a gp at any practice. You just have to register as a temporary resident if you are away from your normal practice

toooldtocaremuch · 05/04/2026 17:47

If she orders her repeats online all she needs to do is change the pharmacy pick up to one near her home address or holiday destination (England). It’s all done electronically.

Musicaltheatremum · 05/04/2026 18:28

Fretfulagain · 05/04/2026 17:43

I hear you on The Archers front. 😊

it may be that part of the issue is we live in England but DD is at uni in Scotland. The pharmacy me toned that as one of the complicating aspect when I finally got meds.

she will check if Scottish GP can sent prescription to our local pharmacy.

thank you for the replies - MN is great! 😊

Ah, Scotland and electronic prescribing. The Scottish government will not sign this off. I discussed this with our practice pharmacist when COVID started. I retired in 2023 and still no electronic prescribing. We have to print out a piece of paper and sign it!! My signature after 30 years as a GP was horrendous.

So no, Scotland can't send scripts to England.
In theory there is a bar code on the prescription but pharmacies don't like using it as they need the piece of paper in their hand to claim the fee and don't know how this would work cross border.
Bit mean of GP not to give early prescription especially with holidays coming up.

For longer holidays your daughter should be able to register as a temporary resident at your practice and get meds that way. Many practices are a bit vague but those are the rules that they should do a temporary registration.

Good luck!
England.

Fretfulagain · 06/04/2026 11:23

It seems the GP did do the prescription but the pharmacy would not dispense it early. It’s not clear if DD explained the situation to them but the Scottish/English thing seems to be a barrier - although she can’t be the only person with this issue so surely there is a workaround.

OP posts:
zurigo · 06/04/2026 11:26

You can usually register as a temporary resident with your local GP surgery too. I did this while I was at uni (in Scotland), just went to the GP surgery near my parents and they seemed to be very used to that situation with students.

Nosejobnelly · 07/04/2026 08:42

My DC gets meds deliver to local pharmacy via nhs app, you can just change it on there temporarily.

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