If you have taken the same medicine for many years and feel well, another review can feel unnecessary. Completing a form or attending an appointment may seem like a hassle, or even a waste of time.
We understand why patients may feel this way. However, medication reviews are important safety checks that help us make sure your treatment remains safe, suitable and effective.
Why do medicines need reviewing?
When School Lane Surgery issues a repeat prescription, we need to make sure that the medicine can continue to be prescribed safely. This applies whether it was started by the surgery or recommended by a hospital specialist, and whether it is needed for a short time or for the rest of your life.
When a hospital specialist asks us to continue a medicine, their advice continues to guide your treatment. Reviewing the medicine does not mean we are questioning the specialist’s decision. Because the surgery issues the repeat prescriptions, we are also responsible for making sure that any necessary checks and monitoring are completed.
Your condition may be lifelong, but your health and circumstances can change. You may develop another condition, start a new medicine or experience side effects that were not previously a problem. Some medicines can also affect areas such as kidney or liver function without causing obvious symptoms.
Feeling well is good news, but it does not always mean that monitoring is no longer needed. After all, cars need a MoT every year!
What happens during a medication review?
A medication review may begin with an online form. A member of the clinical team will consider your responses and may contact you if anything needs to be discussed further.
The review may consider:
- whether you are taking the medicine as prescribed
- whether it is helping you
- any side effects or concerns
- whether your health or other medicines have changed
- whether blood tests, blood pressure readings or other monitoring are up to date
- any practical problems, such as difficulty swallowing tablets, opening containers or remembering doses
Please tell us about anything bought from a shop or pharmacy, including vitamins, herbal remedies and supplements. These products can interact with prescribed medicines but may not appear on your health record.
Please also tell us about any treatment or medication received abroad so that we have a complete picture of your care.
Will my medicine be changed or stopped?
Being invited for a review does not mean that we intend to stop your medicine. In many cases, the review simply confirms that the treatment remains appropriate and can continue safely.
Sometimes a different dose, medicine or treatment may be safer or work better. If a change is recommended, we will explain the reason and involve you in the decision.
For some medicines, regular blood tests or other monitoring are essential. If this monitoring is overdue, we may need to contact you, issue a limited supply or wait for the required results before we can safely continue prescribing. Any decision will depend on the medicine and your individual circumstances.
What if I have already had a review with a nurse?
Patients with long-term conditions such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease may already attend an annual review with a nurse.
You may still be asked to complete a medication review because you could be taking medicines that were not covered during that appointment. We appreciate that this can feel repetitive, but it helps us make sure that all your medicines have been considered. We do try, where possible to complete everything in one go, but that is not always possible.
A medication review is a useful opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns without necessarily needing a separate GP appointment.
Please tell us if you:
- regularly miss doses
- find a medicine difficult to take
- are worried about side effects
- do not understand why a medicine was prescribed
- feel that your treatment is no longer helping
- would like to discuss other available options
You do not need to wait until your next review is due. If you have concerns about your medication at any time, please submit a Prescription Question through the School Lane Surgery website.
What if I cannot complete the review online?
If you do not have internet access or do not feel confident using online services, a kiosk is available in the reception area at School Lane Surgery. A member of staff can help you use it to submit your review.
If you cannot come to the surgery, please contact us. A member of the Prescription Team can arrange to go through the review questions with you by telephone.
Where possible, we are gradually aligning routine medication review dates with patients’ birthday months. We hope this will make it easier to know when your next review is likely to be due.
What happens after I submit my review?
Every submitted review needs to be checked and processed by the Prescription Team, so your review status may not change immediately.
If a medicine is no longer showing as available to order through the NHS App after its review date, this does not necessarily mean that it has been stopped. Please submit a Prescription Question through our website so that the team can check your record and advise you.
Please do not stop taking prescribed medication without first speaking to the surgery. We are here to help!