A brief description of the journey your prescription takes between being ordered at your GP surgery and being delivered to your door

Clinical governance requirements for pharmacies as laid out in paragraph 28(2)(a)(i) of Schedule 4, Part 4, of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 require your pharmacy to produce a practice leaflet containing approved particulars in respect of the pharmacy.

A NHS issued poster relating to prescription charges. It's message to patients is 'don't assume you're entitled'

Are you claiming free prescriptions? If so then don't assume you're entitled. You could have to pay up to £100 as well as your prescription charge. Check before you tick. This eight page document explains who is entitled to free NHS prescriptions and how to claim them. If you are still unsure after reading it there are useful contact numbers provided at the rear

All pharmacies are required to conduct an annual community pharmacy patient questionnaire (sometimes referred to as the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire). The questionnaire allows patients to provide valuable feedback to community pharmacies on the services they provide

On 4th February 2019, NHS England launched a Help Us Help You ‘Pharmacy Advice’ campaign, which positioned pharmacies as the 1st place to go to for advice on minor health concerns, such as coughs, colds, tummy troubles and aches & pains. For more details please visit the NHS page - How your pharmacy can help

The Children’s Oral Health campaign in community pharmacy will take place from 13 May – 13 June 2019, to coincide with and complement National Smile Month. The pharmacy campaign is aimed at children under the age of 5 years and their families/carers

Further useful information may be obtained by following these links:

• The NHS.uk page on children’s oral health - nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/taking-care-of-childrens-teeth
• Oral Health Foundation National Smile Month information and resources - dentalhealth.org/Pages/Category/national-smile-month

The following apps can be recommended to families/carers to help them care for children’s teeth:

• Brush DJ (to help time tooth brushing) - brushdj.com
• Tooth SOS (advice for dealing with dental trauma such as a broken tooth) - iadt-dentaltrauma.org/for-patients

Electronic Repeat Dispensing

For repeating medication, subject to approval from your GP, a batch of repeat prescriptions covering up to 1 year can be issued by your surgery to your pharmacy which has the following benefits:

• A simpler ordering process for patients, just contact your pharmacy to request your next supply of the repeat medication you need (this is typically at least 1 week before you are due to run out).
• A more efficient means of managing workload at your surgery, releasing valuable time to other essential NHS work.
• Convenience - your medication will be ready when you visit your pharmacy, avoiding waiting around for your items to be dispensed.