Dispensary Opening Times
Our Dispensary is open Monday-Friday.
8.30am-1pm 2pm-6.30pm.
We are closed on weekends & bank holidays.
Repeat Prescriptions
Important: if you find you have insufficient medication to cover you through to the next working day, please contact your dispensing chemist or pharmacy who may be able to authorise a temporary supply for you.
If you are taking tablets or medicine long term, your doctor may arrange for you to have repeat prescriptions. There are 3 ways to order your repeats:
- Online via The NHS App or Patient Access: you must be registered to use this service
- Order via your local chemist: you need to register for this service with your chemist
- Order in person or using the designated post box.
Please order your medication 7-10 days before your supply runs out. Those requests received earlier than 10 days will not be issued until they are due. If you require your prescription early for good reason, perhaps you are going away on holiday for example, do please let us know.
We do not take requests by telephone to avoid errors. Please indicate on your request where you would like to collect the medicine. Please allow 3 working days for prescriptions to be prepared, they will be ready to collect as shown below
| HANDED IN BEFORE 2pm Monday | READY TO COLLECT 2.00pm Thursday |
| Tuesday | Friday |
| Wednesday | Monday |
| Thursday | Tuesday |
| Friday | Wednesday |
DISPENSARY
We are a dispensing practice and are able to dispense your medicines if you live more than a mile away from a chemist. Dispensed medications can be collected from our own dispensary, delivered to Preston Candover Post Office and Cheriton Post Office. We also offer a home delivery service for housebound patients, please speak to one of the dispensary staff about this (deliveries require a signature upon receipt). Alternatively we can send your prescription to one of the dispensing chemists in Alresford or Four Marks. Our opening hours are 8.30am-1pm 2pm-6.30pm.
About Pharmacists
Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you with minor health concerns.
As qualified healthcare professionals, they can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.
Many pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. You do not need an appointment.
Most pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.
If you suffer from Hay Fever, you don’t need to see your GP to treat the effects.
We follow NHS guidance and do not routinely prescribe hay fever medication.
Hay fever tablets, liquids, nasal sprays and eye drops can be purchased from supermarkets and pharmacies.
Please speak to your local pharmacist who can offer you hay fever help and advice.
Collecting your prescription
All prescriptions will be sent to your nominated pharmacy. If you do not have one nominated, then it will be automatically sent to your nearest chemist.
For some/few medications, the prescription must be printed off and taken to the pharmacy in person. You will always be notified if this is the case for your prescription.
NHS prescription charges – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Find a pharmacy – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Prescription quantities and 28 day prescribing
At The Alresford Surgery we follow the department of health guidance which states:
“A 28 day prescribing interval is recognised by the NHS as making the best possible balance between patient convenience, good medical practice and minimal drug wastage”.
For patients travelling abroad for extended periods we will provide up to a maximum of a 3 month supply of medicines, but not longer than this. This also follows guidance.
Patients prescribed a repeat medicine should be prescribed enough of each tablet to last 28 days. For example; if the dose requires you to take 2 tablets a day you will receive 56 tablets, 3 tablets a day 84 tablets etc. There are some drugs which are packaged in 3 monthly amounts, for example contraceptive pills and HRT, and we prescribe these in their packaged amounts.
The majority of our patients collecting repeat prescriptions do not pay prescription charges. We would encourage patients who do pay to consider buying a Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate, which will ultimately be more cost effective
If you are collecting routine medication more often than every 28 days or some items are running out more quickly than other then please tell us.
We do not take repeat prescriptions requests over the telephone to avoid errors. You can order you prescription; by post, the NHS app, via our website or in person. We ask that you order your prescriptions in plenty of time as it usually takes 72 hours to complete a prescription request.