From February 1st, some people with stable, long-term conditions will be eligible to get prescriptions that last up to 12 months for some medications.
A 12-month prescription will not be clinically appropriate for all people. For patients who take multiple medications, or medications that require regular review, blood tests, or dose adjustments, it is very unlikely that a 12-month prescription will be appropriate. In these situations, shorter intervals, such as three or six months will continue to be safer and more consistent with best-practice medical care. Your doctor will determine your eligibility for 12 month prescriptions at an in-person visit.
Prescribers will use their clinical judgement to decide what is clinically safe and appropriate for each individual.
Eligible people will be required to have a yearly in-person review of their condition and medications with their prescriber (30 minutes for an appointment if there are other issues to discuss).
Pharmacies can still only dispense a maximum three month supply (six months for oral contraceptives) at a time, as they do currently. Medication repeats will need to be collected from the same pharmacy.
There is no change to the duration of supply for controlled drugs.
