Dispensary Contact Details: 01993 708452

The Dispensary within the practice will be closed between 13:00-14:00 daily from the 1/4/22.

Please note that, this number is not for medication requests, only for urgent enquiries.

Contacting our Dispensary

If you wish to contact the Dispensary to:

• request a repeat prescription
• ask a prescription question
• swap your pharmacy nomination

Please submit an online consultation through Engage Consult and select “Contact the Practice”.

You can also request a repeat prescription through the NHS App. Please view the NHS App guidance on how to request a repeat prescription through the NHS App.

Alternatively, please call between between 9am-12pm or 2pm-5pm.

Eligibility

We are very pleased to announce that we are able to dispense medicines to some of our patients.

For many years GPs have been able to dispense medicines to their patients who live in more rural areas. The benefit to those patients is that they do not have to take their prescription to a pharmacy to collect their medicines, but can have them dispensed all in one visit from the GPs premises.

Unfortunately, the legislation surrounding GPs dispensing only allows for GPs to dispense to their patients living more than a mile from their nearest pharmacy. This means that only about a quarter of our patients will have the benefit of this new service we are able to offer. We are able to dispense to patients living in the villages surrounding Witney and include most parts of:

• Brighthampton
• Cote
• Crawley
• Curbridge
• Hardwick
• Hailey
• Minster Lovell
• New Yatt
• North Leigh
• Northmoor
• Ramsden
• Shifford
• South Leigh
• Standlake.

It is a pity that the current legislation does not allow for us to dispense medicines to all of our patients. However, for those patients to whom this service is available, we hope this is a welcome improvement.

Find out if we are able to dispense to you using our Dispensary Eligibility Check.

Useful information about Dosette Boxes.

How do dispensing patients request repeat prescriptions?

You can request repeat medications by one of the following methods:

• By submitting an online consultation through Engage Consult by selecting “Contact the Practice”
• Through the NHS App
• By dropping your repeat prescription form into our letterbox
• Providing us with your repeat script and stating:
• Which of the 6 local pharmacies you want to collect your prescription from (please allow 7 working days from request to collection)
• If we dispense for you and you will be collecting your prescription from the Dispensary at Windrush Medical Practice (please allow 3 working days)

Please note that only medications on your repeat form can be issued.

We do not accept repeat prescription requests by telephone. This is because drug names are difficult to hear clearly and this could lead to a dangerous event.

How does the dispensary affect me?

If you live more than a mile from the nearest chemist, you are able to benefit from having your medicines supplied direct from the health centre. Unfortunately, patients living within Witney itself are not able to benefit under current regulations. You are not under any obligation to have your medicines dispensed from our surgery, but we believe there are many benefits from doing so.

What about prescription charges?

These are payable exactly as you would in any chemist. If you have an exemption from prescription charges, please bring proof of this when you collect your medicines. We can now accept credit cards.

More information: Help with health costs.

What are the benefits to dispensing patients?

If your doctor or nurse issues a prescription during your consultation, you will be able to have it filled within a few minutes from the dispensary hatch in the waiting room, rather than having to walk or drive to the chemist.

For repeat prescriptions we anticipate there will be less room for error and confusion if we dispense these on site.

Prescriptions occasionally seem to go missing enroute to the chemist and there is often confusion about items ordered. These situations will be easier to overcome in our own dispensary.

When will the dispensary be open?

It will be open 8.30am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, i.e. whenever the surgery is open.

Will the dispensary have what I need?

We will have broad stocks of commonly prescribed items. If we do not have an item in stock, we will be able to obtain it within 24 hours (like any chemist) as we have twice daily deliveries from our suppliers.