Prescriptions after private consultations

Patient information – Private prescriptions

This explains how a prescription issued after a private consultation
is different to an NHS prescription and how you can get your medicine.
Why am I being given a private prescription?
If you have seen a doctor or other healthcare professional privately and they
need you to start a treatment, you may be issued with a private prescription.
Private doctors are not allowed to issue NHS prescriptions. This is because
private consultations are not part of the NHS treatment pathway.
What is the difference between a private prescription and an NHS
prescription?
With a private prescription you will need to pay for the full cost of the medicine
plus a dispensing fee. The pharmacy will calculate the total cost, and this is paid
by you or your medical insurance company. The total cost can vary at different
pharmacies, so it is worth asking more than one pharmacy how much they will
charge you to dispense the prescription. Sometimes private prescriptions cost
less than the NHS prescription charge.
With an NHS prescription you pay an NHS prescription charge per item (a fixed
tax) unless you are entitled to free NHS prescriptions. The current cost of the
prescription charge is available at:
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/howmuch-nhs-prescription-charge/
You can get more information about whether you are entitled to free NHS
prescriptions at:
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/get-help-with-prescripti
on-costs/
How do I get my medicines if they are on a private prescription?
If you have been given a private prescription by your healthcare professional,
you can have this dispensed at a pharmacy of your choice. A private prescription
is normally written on letterheaded paper and has all the information about the
medicine and how you need to take it. The pharmacy will inform you how much
they will charge you to dispense the prescription. The pharmacy has to keep the
private prescription for their records once your medicine has been dispensed.
Can I ask my GP for an NHS prescription if I have seen the
clinician privately?
If you enter the NHS for further treatment after your initial prescription was
dispensed privately, then your GP may be able to issue a prescription on the
NHS. However, there are a number of reasons that your GP may not be able to
transfer your private prescription onto an NHS prescription. These include:

• The medicine being recommended on your private prescription is not
  allowed on an NHS prescription
  If a medicine is not allowed on an NHS prescription (blacklisted) then it cannot
  be prescribed by anyone on the NHS.
• The medicine being recommended is not included in your local NHS
  treatment pathway
  In your local area the medicine may not be included in the normal NHS
  treatment pathway, therefore would not normally be recommended on an NHS
  prescription.
• The medicine being recommended is not included in your local medicine
  formulary
  A medicine formulary contains a list of preferred local choices. You may be
  offered a preferred alternative on NHS prescription instead of the medicine on
  your private prescription.
• The medicine being recommended is only suitable for specialist or
  specialised prescribing
  In the normal NHS treatment pathway, NHS specialists and not GPs, would
  prescribe the medicine. So, GPs may be unfamiliar with the medicine and how
  it should be prescribed and reviewed. GPs would not normally prescribe these
  medicines on NHS prescription.
• Your GP may not agree with the choice of medicine being recommended
  Your GP may not agree with the choice of medicine recommended by your
  private clinician. You may be offered an alternative on NHS prescription.
• The medicine is included further down the NHS treatment pathway
  In your local area other treatments are recommended to be tried and
  considered first. You may be offered one of these medicines on NHS
  prescription first.
  
  If I have any question or difficulty obtaining the medicines, what
  shall I do?
  You should speak to the clinician that issued the private prescription to discuss
  what to do next. They may recommend an alternative medicine, which may be
  prescribed by your GP on an NHS prescription.
  I cannot afford to pay for the treatment privately, what can I do?
  It is important to consider all potential costs when accessing a private consultant
  and this includes medicine costs. If your GP is unable to prescribe the medicine
  on an NHS prescription for one of the reasons documented, you should speak to
  the clinician that issued you with the private prescription to discuss what to do
  next. This may include them recommending an alternative less costly medicine
  or one which may be prescribed by your GP on an NHS prescription.
  My GP has offered me a private prescription even though I am
  being seen on the NHS. Why is this?
  There are a few rare circumstances where NHS healthcare professionals may
  issue private prescriptions to their NHS patients. These are:
• Malaria prophylaxis for protection when travelling abroad or medicines
  only needed in case there is an illness or injury when travelling abroad
  Treatments that may be needed whilst travelling are not considered suitable
  for prescribing on the NHS. The traveller should pay the cost of these
  treatments.
• Travel vaccines that are not allowed on the NHS, such as yellow fever or
  rabies vaccine
  Some vaccines for travel are not allowed on the NHS and therefore travellers
  needing these vaccines will need to pay for them privately.
• Items which are blacklisted or not available for specific conditions on the
  NHS
  In very rare circumstances, your healthcare professional may think that an
  item not available for prescribing on the NHS is suitable for you and with your
  agreement may need to issue a private prescription for this item.
  Your healthcare professional may charge you a fee for writing a private
  prescription.