Urgent advice: Emergency Medicine
How to get emergency prescription medicine
Use the 111 online emergency prescription service
If you get your medicine with a repeat prescription, you can use the 111 online emergency prescription service.
They'll ask some questions, including where you are and when you are due to take your medicine so they can suggest the best way to get it.
They may refer you to a pharmacy to get your medicine.
If your medicine is not prescribed as a repeat prescription, you can get help from 111 online or call 111 to discuss your options.
Emergency prescriptions - NHS
Advice and treatment
Pharmacists can give you advice on a range of conditions and suggest medicines that can help.
They may also be able to offer treatment and some prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP (this is called Pharmacy First).
Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy First are:
Fill in an assessment and self referral online here if you have one of these conditions or you can walk into your local pharmacy.
The pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or refer you to a GP or another healthcare professional if needed.
Pharmacies will update your GP health record.
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.
Please note on weekends online self -referral may take longer as the practice closed and will not look at your assessment till we are open, for quicker response please walk into your local pharmacy.
Find a Pharmacy: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy
Getting the contraceptive pill without a prescription
You may be able to get the contraceptive pill from a pharmacy if you need to:
- start the contraceptive pill for the first time
- take the contraceptive pill again after a break from using it
If you already have a prescription for the contraceptive pill, you can use the prescription as usual.
Or you can get the pill from a pharmacy without a prescription if you prefer.
Find a pharmacy that offers the contraceptive pill without a prescription
Get a free blood pressure check
You can get a free blood pressure checked at a pharmacy without seeing a GP, if you:
- are aged 40 or over
- live in England
You cannot get a free blood pressure check if you:
- already have high blood pressure
- have had your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional in the past 6 months
Some pharmacies offer a free blood pressure check.
Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks here
The NHS App
The NHS App gives you a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services. Download the NHS App on your smartphone or tablet via the Google play or App store. You can also access the same services in a web browser by logging in through the NHS website.
You must be aged 13 or over to use the NHS App. You also need to be registered with a GP surgery in England or the Isle of Man. Find out more about who can use the NHS App.
What you can do with the NHS App
You need to prove who you are to get full access to the NHS App. With full access you can:
- order repeat prescriptions and nominate a pharmacy where you would like to collect them
- book and manage appointments
- view your GP health record to see information like your allergies and medicines (if your GP has given you access to your detailed medical record, you can also see information like test results)
- access NHS 111 online
- find NHS services
- and much more...
For more information on the NHS App please visit https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/
