What should you know about SystmOnline repeat prescriptions?

SystmOnline repeat prescriptions let eligible patients request medicines listed on their repeat record online, while the GP practice reviews and authorises each request. The service is intended for medicines your practice has already agreed can be supplied regularly; it is not a way to start a new medicine, change a dose, or obtain urgent treatment. Your practice may still need to check the request before it is sent to a pharmacy.

A repeat prescription is an ongoing medicine authorised through your medical record, usually with instructions about how and when it should be taken. SystmOnline provides an online route to select an available item and send a request to your registered practice. The request is not the prescription itself: a clinician or authorised practice professional must decide whether it is appropriate to issue it. An item may be unavailable online if it is not on your repeat list, needs a review, or has been prescribed for a limited course.

Your practice controls its ordering rules, processing times, and collection or pharmacy arrangements. Keep taking a medicine exactly as directed unless a clinician tells you otherwise, and do not use a repeat request to report new symptoms or unwanted effects.

Sign in using the details provided by your GP practice, check that the selected medicine and quantity match your usual repeat record, and submit the request before you run out. Review any message from the practice and confirm where the prescription should be sent or collected. If the medicine you need is not listed, contact the practice using its published route rather than choosing a different item.

Allow time for the practice to review the request and for the pharmacy to prepare it. If you cannot access your account, have lost your sign-in details, or the request does not appear to have been received, ask the practice how it wants repeat requests handled. Do not send duplicate requests unless the practice advises you to do so.

Contact a healthcare professional promptly if you have missed doses because your medicine has run out, are having a new or worsening symptom, or think the medicine is causing a harmful reaction. A repeat request cannot assess an urgent problem. For severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, collapse, or another immediately dangerous symptom, use emergency services.

Arrange a GP consultation when you need a new prescription, a dose change, advice about stopping treatment, or a review because the medicine no longer seems suitable. Bring the medicine packaging or an up-to-date list so the clinician can check the name, strength, and directions.

Ask which medicines can be requested through SystmOnline, how far ahead to submit a request, and what to do if an item is missing from your repeat list. You can also ask how the practice will contact you if the request needs clarification and which pharmacy or collection option is available.