Private Prescription Service

A private prescription is when a patient pays for their medicines instead of the prescription being subsidized by the National Health Service (NHS). A Private prescription can be written on any piece of paper by a doctor who is UK registered and has a General Medical Council (GMC) number. To obtain a private prescription a patient will usually have to pay a fee to a doctor from a private practice and another fee to the pharmacy that dispenses their required medication.  This fee may be more or less than the standard NHS prescription charge as the fee for a private prescription is based on the cost of the drug, the amount supplied and also a dispensing fee which may be a flat rate or calculated from the actual cost of the drug.  An NHS prescription fee is a standard fee which is in no way related to the cost of the drug or the quantity supplied.

Private prescriptions are not subsidised by the Government and this means that they may cost you a bit more than you are used to paying for your medicines.  Costs can vary from medicine to medicine and from pharmacy to pharmacy so it may be worth your while to check costs a few different pharmacies before buying any medication.  Many medicines are on a list that means that they are not allowed to be prescribed on the NHS and thus the patient has only the option to pay for their medicines by firstly obtaining a private prescription. Many patients find this advantageous as many antibiotics such as amoxicillin and erythromycin would cost less on a private prescription than paying the £7.65 NHS charge.  If the cost of the medicine is too much for you then consult your doctor to find out if there are other treatments that are available through the NHS.  If you have private health insurance you may be covered for the cost of the private prescription.

Any online pharmacy operating in the UK must be in receipt of a prescription prior to dispensing any medicines and many of these online pharmacies have their own in-house or third party doctors available to consult with patients and write a private prescription if deemed necessary.  Some customers prefer to order drugs from an online pharmacy to avoid the hassle of visiting a doctor or to acquire medications that their doctors are reluctant to supply or in some cases the patient may feel embarrassed to ask about.  Many people are now turning to online pharmacies as obtaining prescribed medications can be expensive and the same level of service is offered online and in a lot of cases at a lower cost.

The cost of treatment on a private prescription includes the cost of the medicine prescribed plus the dispensing fee.  As I mentioned before it is best to shop around as the total cost of your private prescription will vary between pharmacies.