NHS Repeat Prescriptions FAQ’s

Yes! We cover the cost of our service features, including delivery, to ensure our service is free for our patients.

If you usually pay for your NHS prescriptions, you will still need to pay the normal NHS fee - which is £9.90 per item. If you are exempt from this payment or have a pre-payment certificate, then you will not be charged. Just tell us when you register why you're entitled to free NHS prescription medication. **Please note that the NHS Prescription charge rose from £9.65 on the 1st May 2024**

No. In fact, using our service costs the NHS less than using traditional methods*
*Because we dispense from one central pharmacy facility, this means there are less location-based repayment fees for the NHS to pay.

Your medication can be delivered to any address in the UK - wherever suits you best. This can be your home, work, to a neighbour or member of your family.
Delivery is free and you can choose to have it posted through your letterbox, sent signed for or you can choose a safe place for Royal Mail to leave your parcel if you're not home. In some cases, a signature will be needed, for example if you are ordering controlled drugs or refrigerated items.
You can view or change your delivery settings in your account at any time.

Of course! Our UK based pharmacists are always just a phone call or email away if you have a medication query or ever need help with managing your medication.

There are several ways you can contact us:

• Our friendly customer care team are available on 0208 262 3252 Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm and Saturday 8.30am-12pm
• Or you can send us an email [email protected]
• You can use our online chat feature
• You can send us a message via our contact form here
• You can place an order or check its progress in your online account
• Visit our help pages where you will find the most frequently asked questions from patients

We recommend placing your order 7-10 days before you need it to arrive. This allows plenty of time for your GP to authorise the prescription, our pharmacists to dispense your medication and delivery time. We will request the prescription from your GP when you place your order with us. Once we receive your prescription, usually this will be processed and dispatched the same day and our deliveries take 2-3 days to arrive.

Our helpful reminder service is there to ensure you order what you need in plenty of time, so we can always ensure you receive your medication from us before you run out.

We are one of the first and one of the UK's largest online pharmacies with an NHS contract. We dispense and deliver both NHS repeat and private prescriptions all across the UK. Since 2015 we have specialised our medicines home delivery service and our qualified team made up of pharmacists, dispensing technicians, friendly customer services personnel and UK pharmacy prescribers are dedicated to making pharmacy as accessible as possible online.

Your medicines will either be delivered by Royal Mail or by DPD depending on the size. Smaller packs with Royal Mail and larger with DPD. All medicines are delivered in plain, discreet packaging and we will contact you via email or text with details of dispatch when the medicines leave our premises.

Delivery for our NHS repeat prescription service is always free of charge. Private prescription orders have free standard delivery but you can also get accelerated delivery options at an extra cost. OTC product orders are £2.99 standard delivery on orders under £30.

We can deliver to your home or your place of work. We can also deliver to a carers address or to a trusted neighbour. You can choose where you want your delivery to go and if you are still unable to get receive your delivery, a card will be left so you can arrange free re-delivery or collection from your local depot.

Yes, that choice is completely yours. You can change where your NHS EPS prescriptions from your GP go at any time you please. Simply Meds Online is ready for your nominations!

All you have to do is order your NHS prescriptions as normal and your doctor’s surgery will automatically send them to us electronically. We’ll then dispense and deliver your medicines to you for free to the address you’ve chosen.

Repeat prescriptions are prescriptions that have your regular medications listed that have been authorized by your GP or doctor to be issued a repeat number of times, usually 6-12 months. Your GP will usually review your medications every 6-12 months.

They are usually dispensed one month at a time by your nominated pharmacy after the pharmacy receives a prescription from your GP or doctor.

You need to request your repeat medications from your GP around 7-10 days before you run out, just in case there are delays at your surgery and to ensure your prescription gets to your nominated pharmacy on time.

Once your prescription is sent by your GP surgery or doctor, it is dispensed and checked ready for collection or delivery. 

Sometimes your surgery will set up repeat dispensing for you, if you are on long term medications, which are sent to the pharmacy at the same time as a batch of prescriptions. It is similar to repeat prescriptions outlined above, but you do not need to contact your surgery to request the prescription.

You simply call/email your pharmacy a few days before you need your medications so they can be dispensed and checked. If you are with an online pharmacy, like SimplyMeds, please allow additional time to request this.

Some GP surgeries have a dedicated website or app that you can use to request your repeat prescriptions online. You can also now use the NHS App to request and view prescriptions. Unfortunately, we cannot accept a repeat request via our services, you will need to contact your GP surgery directly to request any of your repeat medications.

Once you have done this, it will be sent to your nominated pharmacy. To request your prescriptions are sent to us here at SimplyMeds, you need to register with us directly which you can do here.

You have to nominate an online pharmacy to receive your prescriptions via their website or app. Your GP surgery cannot nominate an online pharmacy for you.

To register and nominate SimplyMeds Online as your pharmacy of choice, please click here. Once you have submitted your details you will receive an email outlining what happens next. Once you are registered continue to order your medications with your GP as you normally would, these will be sent to us directly to dispense.

When you register you will be asked if you have an exemption from paying for your prescriptions. When we register you, you will need to supply us with a photograph or copy of the email stating your exemption with the reference number. For example:

HRT Prepayment Certificate

Maternity Exemption Certificate

Medical Exemption Certificate

Universal Credit

You can check if you meet eligibility criteria on the NHS Business Services Website here.

This explains if you are entitled to refunds, what to do and how to purchase Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs).

Occasionally you may need an ‘acute’ medication in a hurry, for example antibiotics or an inhaler, ask your GP to send your prescription as a one off to a local pharmacy or ask for a printed token or a printed prescription.

If you receive a token, give us a call and we will stop dispensing this for you and take the token to a local pharmacy to be dispensed. They will use the barcode on your token to pull in the prescription for you. Sometimes you can call ahead and give this barcode number to them over the phone.

If you receive a printed prescription, take this to your local pharmacy and they can dispense it for you. Let them know this is just a one-off prescription and you do not want to change your pharmacy nomination. If you’re happy to wait for your prescription, we normally dispense on the same day if sent over before 3pm, and if you are in our same day delivery local catchment area, we can deliver the same day. Please call us on 0208 262 3252 and we can arrange this for you where possible.

When we receive your prescription, we will check the items on your script to make sure they are in stock, if you have an exemption, you will be asked for this when you register with us. (Please see the information above regarding eligibility).

If you pay for your prescriptions, we will send you a link via email to make your payment through our secure website service. Once your payment has been received and added to your account, we will check, pack and ship your order. Payment has to be made by 4pm for your order to be shipped on the same day. 

If you have an exemption or a pre-payment certificate, you will be asked to supply this when registering with us. If you would like to purchase a prescription pre-payment certificate or would like to check if you are eligible for exemption from paying, you will need to check with the NHS Business Services Website here.

You will also find information about refunds, applying for exemption for conditions such as diabetes, cancer and underactive thyroid conditions as well as information about help with NHS dental costs, eye care, wigs and fabric support costs and the NHS Low Income Scheme.