Managing NHS prescriptions when travelling & moving house

Yes, you can continue to access your NHS prescriptions while travelling within the UK. If you’re using a delivery service like Pharmacy2U, you can arrange for your medicines to be delivered to your home address while you’re away, or you might choose to take your medication with you if you’re only travelling for a short period.

It’s important to plan ahead and make sure you have enough medicine to cover the duration of your trip. If you’re going away for an extended time, speak to your GP or pharmacist before you travel to make sure you won’t run out of any essential medicines.

If you’re signed up to an NHS repeat prescription service like Pharmacy2U, you can continue to order your medicines online, wherever you are in the UK. Simply log in to your account and request your repeat prescription, and we’ll liaise with your GP to have it approved and delivered.

If you use a local pharmacy, you may need to contact your GP practice directly to request your prescription and arrange collection. Some GP practices also offer online services where you can request repeats remotely. Always allow enough time for approval and delivery so your medicines reach you before you travel.

Don’t panic if you run out of prescribed medicine while away from home. There are several options available:

• In England, you can request an emergency prescription through NHS 111, who can send a referral to a local pharmacy. If you can confirm your prescription details, the pharmacist can provide a short course.

• Elsewhere in the UK, the process is similar, but local health service rules may differ slightly (NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, or Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland).

• If you’re already a Pharmacy2U patient, you can request your repeat prescription through your account and have it delivered to your registered address.

If you cannot access your medicines quickly, contact NHS 111 for further advice. Always try to order in advance to avoid running out during your trip.

Yes, you can take your NHS prescriptions with you when travelling abroad, but it’s important to keep them in their original labelled packaging with your name and the prescription details clearly shown.

If the medicine is a controlled drug, like strong painkillers or sedatives, then carry a letter from your GP or consultant with you, plus a copy of your prescription slip.

Different countries may have different rules about medicines you can bring in with you, even if they are prescribed. For example, Egypt, Japan, Indonesia, and the UAE have strict regulations or bans on codeine, especially when brought from abroad or in certain combinations. It’s worth checking FCDO government travel advice or with the embassy of the country you’re travelling to before your journey.

Make sure to keep your NHS prescriptions in your hand luggage and not your checked luggage, so you’re not left without crucial medicine if your luggage takes a ride to a different country or gets accidentally left behind! This will also help to keep your medicine reasonably temperature controlled.

As we mentioned before, keep your medicines in their original packaging; do not decant your medicine into tablet dividers or holders. And make sure to bring enough with you to cover your whole trip, plus some extra in case you find yourself delayed or stuck for whatever reason.

Don’t panic. Check how much medication you have left from your supply, if you have any, so that you know how urgently you need to acquire more. If you can, contact your GP surgery back in the UK to let them know about the issue. They should be able to send you a copy of your prescription by email for you to show to local doctors or pharmacists to help you get a replacement.

Next, contact your travel insurance provider, because most policies will cover emergency medical help, such as replacing lost or stolen medication. They can also help you find trusted local pharmacies or doctors to replace your prescription and help you pay for the replacement medicine.

When you visit the referred doctor or clinic to get your replacement prescription, take proof of your prescription with you, such as the slip, a photo of it, or even the empty box. A letter from your GP will be even better, as this can explain what your medication is needed for.

Don’t worry if the replacement medicine you’re given has a different name than your usual prescription. Many brand names differ abroad, but they should contain the same active ingredient, and the doctor or pharmacist should talk you through all the alternatives if your specific medication is not available where you are.

This will depend on how you currently get your prescriptions.

If you use an online pharmacy like Pharmacy2U, it’s a really simple process of logging in to your account and updating your delivery address before your next prescription is due to be sent.

If you normally collect your prescription from your local pharmacy, you can speak to the pharmacy team and ask them to update their records for deliveries to your new address. If you use the NHS app, then you can go to the ‘Repeat prescriptions’ section and update your nominated pharmacy to your preferred new pharmacy to pick up from before your next prescription is due to be fulfilled.

If you’re still a little unsure, call your GP and ask them to update your nominated pharmacy or delivery address for you. They can often re-send your prescription to the correct place if you’ve missed the window on your current delivery.

This will depend on how far you’re moving. If you move outside your current GP’s catchment area (the area they cover for home visits and services), then you will need to find a new GP near your new address.

If you are still within your GP’s catchment area, you won’t need to move GPs, but you will need to let them know that you have a new address so they can update your record.

If you’re away from home for up to 3 months, you can register as a temporary resident with a local GP, while keeping your main GP at home.

This will depend on whether you’ve moved GP surgeries. If you’ve transferred to a new GP, it can take anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks for your registration to come through and for your new GP to receive your medical records from your old practice.

It’s best to pre-empt this type of delay by getting your prescription fulfilled right before you change to a new GP. If you need medicine urgently and your GP doesn’t have your updated records yet, they should still be able to issue your medicine, especially if you have a copy of your repeat prescription, whether on a slip or on your NHS app record.

If you’re just switching where you get your prescription delivered (either to a new pharmacy or a new address), this switch should happen very quickly, normally on the same day.