I was told my Endo would send me a prescription through the post for Erfa, but what has arrived is a letter headed prescription. I've phoned the hospital and was told that it's fine because it's a private prescription. The pharmacy looked at me blankly and said to see GP but surgery also didn't know what to do with it.
Is that normal? If so could anyone pm me where they get there's from?
The hospital gave me a German website someone has used but the first thing I saw was a load of negative reviews.
Written by
Pinebunny
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Yes your Dr is correct. A private prescription in general, with only certain exceptions, needs to be "in" a prescribed form but not "on" a prescribed form! NHS GPs use a standard form for prescribing within NHS rules, which is modified for private use - presumably to avoid confusing them and no doubt because nowadays, it fits with the technological software and printers; but they don't have to.
How can a private prescription be issued and received?
A private prescription can be issued on any piece of paper except in the case of controlled drugs. It must be signed in ink and written so as to be indelible, and must include the address of the prescriber, the date of prescription issue or the date after which it may be dispensed, the prescriber’s professional group (doctor, pharmacist, etc), the name and address of the patient (and age if under 12 years).
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, “dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs” are designated as “controlled drugs” (CDs), categorised in five schedules, and subject to specific prescribing rules. For CDs in schedules 2 and 3 (eg opioids, tramadol, some benzodiazepines), a special form is required for all private prescriptions.
A guide to private prescribing by Sarah Steele BA(Hons), LLB, PhD, DPhil et al
As it seems you may be looking to have it dispensed outside the UK, the guidance is the the same but here's it laid out for that circumstance:
"There is no specific form or format for a prescription you will use in another EU country. In most cases, the prescription you would use in your home country should already contain enough information for you to use it in another EU country. It has to contain at least the following information:
Patient details: surname and first name (both written in full), and date of birth
Date of issue of the prescription
Details of the prescribing doctor: surname and first name (written in full), professional qualification, direct contact details, work address (including the country), and signature (written or digital)
Details of the prescribed product: its common name (rather than the brand name, which may be different in another country), format (tablet, solution, etc), quantity, strength and dosage.
If you think you'll need to get your prescription dispensed abroad, or if you are given a prescription abroad that you will need to get dispensed in your home country, check that the doctor has included all this information. That way you can be sure that a pharmacist in another EU country can easily understand the prescription and correctly identify the medicine you are requesting and its dose.
Prescriptions are subject to the rules of the country where they are dispensed. This means that a pharmacist will apply national rules when dispensing your medicine – for example, you may not be allowed the same number of days' dosage.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
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