Prescriptions
Order your repeat prescription online in under a minute, or use your paper slip. Please allow 3 working days for us to issue your prescription, then 2 to 3 days for your pharmacy to prepare it.
Allow 3 working days for us to issue your prescription, then 2 to 3 days for your pharmacy.
Order about 1 week early — before your medicine runs out, and earlier still before bank holidays.
We cannot take requests by phone or email. This protects you from medicine mix-ups and keeps our lines free.
3 ways to order your repeat prescription
Choose whichever way suits you best. Most patients find online ordering the easiest — once you are set up, it takes less than a minute.
1. The NHS App
Order on your phone at any time of day or night. Your request comes straight to us, and your prescription is sent electronically to the pharmacy you choose. You can also see your medicines list, so there is nothing to mistype.
All you need is your phone and a free NHS login — no forms to fill in at reception.
Get the NHS App on the NHS website2. SystmOnline
SystmOnline is the patient website and app for our medical computer system, SystmOne. Tick the medicines you need from your own record and press send. You can also use it to book and cancel appointments.
To get started, ask our reception team for a username and password. You only need to do this once.
Log in to SystmOnline3. The paper slip
Use the green tear-off slip that came with your last prescription. Tick the medicines you need and write how you will collect it. Then either:
- post it into the prescription box inside the surgery
- use our letterbox on the left side wall of the main entrance when we are closed, or
- post it to Ashcroft Surgery, Newlands Way, Eccleshill, Bradford, BD10 0JE.
A relative, carer or friend can drop the slip in for you.
On your slip or online request, tell us how you will collect your prescription. Write COLLECT if you will pick it up from the surgery, or write the name of your chosen pharmacy and we will send it there electronically.
Why sign up for online ordering?
Signing up takes a couple of minutes, and after that ordering your medicines becomes the easiest job of your week. With online ordering you can:
- Order any time — day or night, weekends and bank holidays, from your sofa.
- Avoid mistakes — you tick your medicines from your own record, so nothing gets misheard or misspelled.
- Skip the trip — your prescription goes electronically to your chosen pharmacy. You go straight there to collect your medicines.
- See your medicines list — including when your next medication review is due.
- Do more than prescriptions — book and cancel appointments and, in the NHS App, view parts of your GP record and test results where available.
If you are not confident with technology, that is fine — a family member or carer can help you set it up, and the paper method is always there for you.
Your prescription journey, step by step
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You order your medicines
Use the NHS App, SystmOnline or your green paper slip — ideally about a week before your medicines run out.
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We check and issue your prescription — allow 3 working days
A doctor or pharmacist checks that each medicine is right and safe for you before signing it off. This careful checking is why we ask for 3 working days. Please do not ring to chase it before then.
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Your prescription goes to your pharmacy electronically
We use the NHS Electronic Prescription Service, so most prescriptions travel securely from us to your nominated (chosen) pharmacy — no paper to pick up. If you asked to collect from the surgery instead, come to reception.
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Your pharmacy prepares your medicines — allow 2 to 3 days
Pharmacies need time to make up your medicines, especially at busy periods.
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You collect your medicines — or have them delivered
Collect from your pharmacy, or from our reception before 6pm if collecting from the surgery. Some local pharmacies also offer free delivery — see the question about deliveries below.
Understanding your prescription slip
Your green prescription comes in two halves:
- The left-hand side is the actual prescription. The pharmacy keeps this part when they give you your medicines.
- The right-hand side is your repeat request slip. It lists all your repeat medicines. Keep it safe — you use it to order next time by ticking the medicines you need.
Look at the bottom of the right-hand side — this is where the date of your next medication review is printed. If that date is coming up, please book your review so your medicines can keep being issued without delay.
Ordering online? You will not need the slip at all — your medicines list appears on screen instead.
Medication reviews — especially if you take 5 or more medicines
A medication review is a friendly check-up for your medicines. We look at what you are taking, make sure everything is still needed and working well together, and answer any questions you have. We review everyone's medicines at least once a year.
Taking 5 or more regular medicines is sometimes called polypharmacy. It is very common, but the more medicines you take, the more chance there is that some interact with each other, work against each other, or cause side effects. Our pharmacist team are medicines experts and can often simplify things — a bit like tidying a crowded cupboard so only the useful things remain.
A review may mean stopping a medicine you no longer need. That is a good thing — fewer unnecessary medicines usually means fewer side effects.
Asking for a review is easy. Ring the surgery on 01274 612 279 (after 10am please) or send us a request through PATCHS, our online form, and say: "Please can the pharmacy team review my medication?" That is all you need to do. Reviews can often be done over the phone.
Your next review date is printed at the bottom of your repeat request slip and shown in your online account.
Prescription charges — and how to pay less
In England, the NHS prescription charge is £9.90 for each item (2026 to 2027). But most prescriptions are actually dispensed free of charge — many people do not need to pay at all.
You may get free prescriptions
Prescriptions are free for many people, including if you:
- are under 16, or aged 16 to 18 and in full-time education
- are 60 or over
- are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate
- have certain medical conditions and hold a valid medical exemption certificate
- receive certain benefits, or are on a low income and qualify for help through the NHS Low Income Scheme.
Not sure? Check if you can get free prescriptions on the NHS Business Services Authority website — it only takes a few minutes. Your pharmacist can also advise you.
Pay for several items? A prepayment certificate could save you money
A prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) works like a season ticket for your prescriptions. You pay once, and it covers all your NHS prescriptions for the period — no matter how many items you need.
| Certificate | Price | It saves you money if you need… |
|---|---|---|
| 3-month PPC | £32.05 | more than 3 items in 3 months |
| 12-month PPC | £114.50 | more than 11 items in a year |
| HRT PPC (covers certain hormone replacement therapy medicines) | £19.80 | more than 2 qualifying HRT items in a year |
Read about prepayment certificates and buy one on the NHS website, or call the PPC order line on 0300 330 1341. These links take you away from the Ashcroft Surgery website.
Run out of an important medicine?
Please try not to run out — order about a week before your medicines finish. But if it happens:
- When we are open: contact us and explain that you have run out. Tell us if the medicine is essential, such as insulin, heart medicines or epilepsy medicines.
- When we are closed: go to NHS 111 online or call 111. They can arrange an emergency supply. Many pharmacies can also supply some medicines in an emergency — ask your pharmacist.
- Do not suddenly stop a regular medicine without advice — for some medicines this can make you unwell.
Call 999 if someone is seriously unwell — for example chest pain, severe breathing problems, signs of a stroke or heavy bleeding.
Your prescription questions, answered
Can I order my medicines by phone or email?
No — we cannot take repeat prescription requests by telephone or email. This is for your safety. A misheard word or a misspelled medicine name could lead to the wrong medicine or dose. It also keeps our phone lines free for patients who need urgent medical help.
The online and paper methods use your actual medicines list, so there is much less room for error. If your circumstances make all of these routes genuinely impossible, please speak to our practice manager and we will find a way to help.
Can someone else order or collect for me?
Yes. A relative, carer or friend can hand in your paper slip and collect your prescription or medicines for you. With your agreement, a carer can also be set up as a proxy to order online on your behalf — ask our reception team about this.
Can my pharmacy collect and deliver my medicines?
Many local pharmacies offer a collection and delivery service, which can be a big help if getting out is difficult. To set it up:
- Ring your pharmacy and ask if they collect and deliver.
- If they do, sign their simple agreement form.
- The pharmacy tells us, and from then on they handle it for you.
Local pharmacies that currently offer this include Ashcroft Pharmacy (01274 735 716), Boots Pharmacy (01274 733 817), Clarick Pharmacy (01274 613 475) and Sahara Pharmacy (01274 480 588).
Remember: you can use whichever pharmacy you like, and change whenever you want. The choice is always yours.
Why is a medicine I have had before not on my repeat list?
Some medicines are prescribed as a one-off — for example, a short course of antibiotics — and are not meant to be repeated automatically. These will not appear on your repeat list, and we cannot issue them through the repeat prescription service.
If you think you need one of these medicines again, please speak to our pharmacist or a doctor so they can check it is still right for you.
What about bank holidays, Christmas and New Year?
Please order earlier than usual before bank holidays — the surgery and pharmacies are closed on the holiday itself and are extremely busy either side of it. Ordering a week or more in advance means you will not be caught short.
Please only order what you need. Ordering extra "just in case" can waste medicines and delay other patients' prescriptions.
Who can I talk to if I have a question about my medicines?
Ashcroft Surgery has an in-house pharmacist team who are experts in medicines. If you have a question about your medication — side effects, timings, whether medicines mix well together — we can arrange for you to speak to them. Ring us after 10am or send a PATCHS request.
Your community pharmacist is also a highly trained medicines expert and can answer many questions on the spot, without an appointment.
Related information
Local pharmacies
Find pharmacies near you, their opening times and the services they offer. This link takes you to the NHS website.
See local pharmaciesMedicines A to Z
Trusted NHS information about how your medicines work, doses and side effects. This link takes you to the NHS website.
Look up a medicine on the NHS websiteAccessibility options
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