Pool Health Centre

Ordering and Collection of Prescriptions
If you are taking medicines that should be continued for more than one month you will be issued with a prescription counterfoil containing your personal details (name, address, age, date of birth) and a list of the medicines you are taking. When you need to order a further supply of medicine, if there is more than one item on your list you should tick the items you would like to have repeated and place it in the box at Reception. In order to avoid unnecessary costs to the NHS receptionists are instructed not to issue unticked items.

You can also email your request to us – our surgery email address is healthcentre@pool.cornwall.nhs.uk or use the web link on this website.

It is not the policy of the Practice to take requests for repeat prescriptions over the telephone on safety grounds as it has been found to increase significantly the possibility of error.

Our aim is to have your prescription available within two working days of its being presented to us, i.e. the number of hours from requesting a prescription to availability for collection is 48 hours or less (excluding weekends and bank / local holidays). Although we meet our two working day deadline in the great majority of cases, patient safety remains a priority and we will always ensure that any medication requiring authorisation is brought to the attention of an appropriate clinician. As this does occasionally give rise to a delay we encourage patients to submit their requests a little earlier where such delays might cause them inconvenience. This is especially relevant where patients are receiving a combination of complex medications where interactions between them require careful consideration. In such cases physicians may find it necessary to request that the patient attend the surgery for a medication review before a prescription is re-authorised.

Collecting Repeat Prescriptions
Each prescription has to be authorised and signed by the doctor who issued it or, in his or her absence by an ‘on-call’ GP. We deal with about 1000 requests every week and almost all of these are ready at the surgery within two working days* of the request being received. If, for any reason, your prescription is delayed or there is an error, it is highly unlikely that this is the fault of the receptionist you are dealing with. If you have any cause for complaint please advise our Customer Services Officer, Mrs Ann Curtis or the Practice Manager in accordance with the Complaints Procedure on display at Reception.

Although the surgery is not open on Saturdays authorised prescription slips which remain uncollected on the Friday may be collected on Saturday mornings from the in-house Boots (Moss) pharmacy, which has agreed to provide this service for the convenience of Patients. The NHS rules on patient confidentiality are strict and prevent us, for example, from leaving messages on answering machines where they could be heard by others (including family members). As a result of this it has been found to be impractical for us as a general policy to call patients to advise them in the event of a request for a repeat prescription being refused issue by one of the Doctors. We apologise for any inconvenience that may result.

Prescriptions Direct to Pharmacy
We have an agreement with local pharmacies and are happy to forward your prescription to the pharmacy of your choice – please speak to one of the Receptionists if you would like to take advantage of this service.
* see note below

Please note that if your preferred pharmacy is in Camborne or Redruth you may need to allow an extra day before collecting it to allow us time for your medicine to reach the pharmacy. Also please note that the Moss Pharmacy outlet located within Pool Health Centre is not part of the medical practice and the time they take to make up the prescription is not included within the two working days. Similarly, as no surgery staff are present on Saturdays this is not a ‘working day’ for the surgery.

In some instances you may be issued with a prescription counterfoil along with a prescription even if it is for a one-off course of treatment. The issue of a counterfoil does not necessarily mean that the medicine is to be repeated; the counterfoil may be merely for your own record of the treatment prescribed for you. If you are unsure, please show your counterfoil to one of the Receptionists who will be able to advise you.

If you have any suggestions about our Repeat Prescription service please speak to a member of staff.