Private Prescriptions

Can I get a private prescription transferred to an NHS prescription?

If you have seen a private specialist or doctor and they have prescribed a particular medication or treatment for you, this is a private prescription. Your GP Practice will not usually be able to transfer a private prescription onto an NHS prescription. 

Dental prescriptions cannot be transferred to an NHS prescription (including antibiotics) as GPs are not insured to prescribe for dental issues.

What happens if I wish to continue my treatment on the NHS?

If you ask your GP to take over a private prescription, they will only be able to do so if they are satisfied that the prescribing is appropriate, responsible and what they would prescribe for other NHS patients with the same condition.

Your GP may not be able to prescribe if:

• The medication is not generally prescribed on the NHS
• The use of the medication is not compatible with national or local prescribing guidelines
• The medication is not licensed in the UK or is being used for a purpose not included in its UK licence
• The GP does not believe the medication is appropriate or necessary for you
• The mediction is complex, requiring ongoing monitoring and must therefore remain with the prescribing consultant
• We have not yet received the specialist letter detailing the medication prescribed - we are unable to consider a request based on a copy of a prescription
• The medication is a "shared care" medication which has to be started by a specialist and stabilised before the GP can take over. We cannot prescribe until this stage has been reached.

If your GP is not able to prescribe the medication suggested by your private specialist, they may suggest an alternative but equally effective medication prescribed on the NHS. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can pay for your private prescription through your private doctor.

This will not affect any medications that you are currently being prescribed by your NHS GP. Please keep us informed of any medications you are accessing privately so we can check drug interactions when prescribing NHS medications.

ADHD Prescribing Information

An increasing number of patients and families are seeking private treatment for ADHD. Patients who have been privately diagnosed and treated for ADHD might request that further treatment/medication be provided within the NHS. Patients seeking a new referral to ADHD services for diagnosis and treatment of potential ADHD, may be eligible to choose from an alternative consultant psychiatrist led, approved provider under the NHS Right to Choose.

Please be aware that as your NHS GP, we will not be able to enter into ‘shared care’ arrangements with private or NHS Right to Choose providers, nor will we be able to perform the investigations or monitoring requested by these clinics.

As detailed in the Commissioning Policy 67 (TVP35): Managing the boundaries of NHS and Privately Funded Healthcare:

• The NHS should not subsidise private care; and private and NHS care should be kept separate as clearly as is possible
• There is no obligation for the GP to prescribe treatment recommended by a private practitioner if it is contrary to local agreement or outside normal clinical practice
• The NHS will not normally fund treatments that have been recommended by a private practitioner if that treatment is not normally commissioned within the local area
• The fact that a patient can demonstrate they have benefited from the private treatment does not necessarily provide grounds for continuing the treatment in the NHS as an exception.

It is important that patients, parents or guardians understand that if a patient requests further treatment through the NHS, that they will need to be referred and put on the waiting list for a local NHS provider for confirmation of diagnosis according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria.  Patients should also be aware that there are lengthy waiting lists to be seen and patients will not necessarily be able to access the same medicines on the NHS as those prescribed in private treatment. Therefore, patients may prefer to continue paying for their medication from their private provider.