Repeat Prescriptions

Following guidelines published by NHS England, the practice has been asked by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB to stop prescribing medicines for minor illnesses which are suitable for self-care and are available to purchase over the counter. This includes medications such as antihistamines, eye drops and nasal sprays used to treat hay fever.

The team at The Uppingham Surgery are committed to providing the most evidence based and cost effective prescribing for our patients. By asking people to buy medicines for minor ailments over the counter we can use NHS resources wisely and also free up valuable GP and nurse time which can be used to deal with more complex or serious health needs. If more patients choose to self-care the NHS could potentially save around £136m every year. A recent public engagement exercise showed that the majority of people agreed with buying medications over the counter for minor or self-limiting conditions.

If at any time you are concerned about your condition please speak to either your community pharmacist or contact the surgery.

Following guidelines published by NHS England the practice has recently been asked by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups to stop prescribing a variety of items including bath and shower emollients (moisturisers). These items will be removed from a repeat medication list.

Bath and shower emollients are products used instead of soap for people with dry and itchy skin conditions such as eczema. However a recent trial concluded these products did not make any difference to patient’s eczema symptoms. The quantities of emollient deposited on the skin during bathing are likely to be far lower than with directly applied emollients such as creams, ointments and lotions.