After your appointment with your private specialist, you may be recommended for medicine or treatment. You may want to transfer this prescription via your GP on the NHS. We have clear guidelines regarding this. As with any prescription signed by our GPs, they will be undertaking legal and clinical responsibility.

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

Wellington Health Centre has the right not to transfer a private prescription. This can be for several reasons.

• The prescribing doctor may not agree with the medicine/treatment plan
• The recommended medicine may not be in the North West London Formulary
• The medicine/ treatment is not in line with local and national guidelines
• The medicine/treatment is not generally prescribed on the NHS
• The medicine/treatment is complex and specialist, so prescribing is to stay with the consultant
• The medicine is not licensed for what the consultant prescribed it for
• If you are seen for a single episode of care, any short-term medicine should be prescribed by the specialist, as part of that care
• The medicine is a ‘Shared Care’ medicine *(including ADHD medicines)

*We cannot enter shared care agreements with private providers. Shared care is only appropriate when specialist monitoring and guaranteed urgent advice are available, which private clinics cannot reliably provide. When prescribing, GPs take full clinical responsibility for a medication’s safety and suitability and may decline shared care if it is beyond their competence. As private clinics vary in quality and we cannot assess them all, we maintain a consistent policy not to accept shared care from private providers.

If your private specialist prescribes a ‘Shared Care’, medicine your choices are:

1. Request a referral to an NHS specialist (the wait time is the same for all patients, even if you have a diagnosis from the specialist)
2. Continue all your care in the private sector

Some medicines must be started by a specialist, so your GP can’t give you the first prescription. The consultant has to issue the initial prescription. After that, your GP may decide whether or not they can continue prescribing it for you.

If the private doctor identifies a long-term condition which is available as routine NHS treatment that the GP can provide, the GP can prescribe under their discretion. Please note:

1. We will need written documentation explaining, dose, rationale, and duration. And outline any monitoring prior to taking the prescription.
2. The prescribing GP, if appropriate can liaise with the consultant and prescribe a medicine, that is equally effective and more in line with NHS prescribing (e.g switching to generic prescribing) if they wish to.

Alternatively, you can pay for your private prescription through your private doctor.

AccuRx template- prescription request not approved

‘Your request to transfer your private prescription to an NHS prescription has not been approved. Please refer to our private prescription practice policy. Please call the practice if you have any questions. ’