These are commonly given as requests to the GP to prescribe, though sometimes the prescription will be intended for dispensing at the hospital pharmacy, especially if the need is urgent or the drugs are for hospital supply only.

Taking your medication abroad may require you to take a letter of authorisation with you, even in Europe. Every country has its own rules and it can be complex. Make sure you check in good time.

There is of course a huge range of useful non-prescription medicines available at chemists, but if you run out of a regular prescription medicines you can obtain a supply out of hours without a prescription from a pharmacist or other source so you should never be without – this could be dangerous.

There are a selection of local pharmacies that will be open late.

Find a Pharmacy

There are a variety of methods available, but it is essential you use it as soon as possible after the event for best results.

You can get the emergency contraceptive pill and the IUD for free from:

• GP - we will always fit you in urgently, please ask at reception.
• Your local Contraceptive Clinic
• A Sexual Health Clinic
• Some Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) Clinics
• Some Young People’s Clinics call 0800 567123

You can also get the emergency contraceptive pill free from:

• Some pharmacies
• Most NHS walk-in centres and minor injuries units 
• Some Accident and Emergency departments

Many excellent and important medicines are available Over The Counter (OTC) at pharmacies. They do not not need to be prescribed by a Doctor and indeed you can save yourself a lot of money as many are cheaper than the Prescription Charge. Pharmacists are highly trained in giving sensible advice about self-help for minor illness, please ask them.

The NHS in NW London ICBs: Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster spent over £13 million in 2016 on products that can be bought without a prescription at community pharmacies.

The NHS is under pressure. Our budgets are not large enough to pay for all the treatments the public would like us to provide. We would therefore like to spend less on medicines you can buy without a prescription so as to free up funds for other valuable NHS services.

Practices across North West London are being asked to stop routinely prescribing medicines which are available to buy over the counter in pharmacies (and, in the case of some medicines, in supermarkets and other shops too). If a medicine you need can be bought without a prescription, your GP may ask if you are willing to buy it. If you are not willing to buy it, it will be prescribed.

Private prescriptions from another doctor should normally be cashed at a pharmacy. We are not obliged to convert these to NHS prescriptions. Once you are established on the medicines we can provide repeat prescriptions on the NHS as normal provided we have received written information from that doctor and that we judge the prescription is appropriate. Some prescriptions may be for medication which is not in our practice drug formulary and we may substitute it for something similar.

Ask us to help synchronise your medicines so you can request them all in one go.

Certain medicines such as the Contraceptive Pill or HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) can be supplied in 6 month quantities for your convenience but to do this the nurse or doctor may need to see you.

Non-repeat medicines, which you may have only occasionally, can be requested on a medication request form or online request but we may ask to see you.

It is well worth keeping a small stock of useful medicines at home in your (locked) first aid cupboard. For instance, pain killers (analgesics) such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or aspirin (children under 16 and people with asthma should not take aspirin), or Ibuprofen syrups for children, Mild laxatives, Anti-diarrhoeal medicines, Indigestion remedy (for example, antacids) Travel sickness tablets, and Sunscreen – SPF15 or higher Sunburn treatment (for example, calamine).