News

Mt Eden Village Doctors
Published on

What this means for patients
While this change will be helpful for many people, not all medicines are safe to prescribe for a full year

Some medicines require: 
  • * Regular blood tests 
  • * Dose adjustments 
  • * Close clinical monitoring 
Regular review with a clinician may be essential to assess: 
  • * Side effects 
  • * Appropriate dosing 
  • * Whether the medicine is still needed 
  • * Monitoring outcomes 
  • * Possible interactions or safety concerns 

Individual assessment is essential
The length of your prescription will be decided on a case-by-case basis.  Your prescriber will always prioritise your health, wellbeing and safety

If your prescriber considers it appropriate and safe to issue an extended prescription, they will explain the conditions attached.  These may include, for example:  
  • * In-person review, once to twice per year 
  • * Blood tests completed before your annual review 
  • * Providing other monitoring information (such as blood pressure readings) 
If your routine review frequency is reduced, it is likely that your repeat prescription will require a dedicated medication review appointment. Separate appointments will still be needed to discuss other health issues. 
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Key Messages 
  • * Not everyone will receive a 12-month prescription. Your prescriber will decide what is safe and appropriate for you. 
  • * There will still be a maximum of 3 months' supply at a time (or 6 months for oral contraceptives), as there is now 
  • * There will be one prescription co-payment per prescription item, as there is now. 
  • * You will still need to collect all repeats from the same pharmacy. Repeats cannot be transferred between pharmacies. 
  • * The first dispensing must occur within 3 months of the prescription being issued.  
  • * Repeats may be dispensed for up to 12 months from the issue date. No repeats can be legally dispensed after 12 months. Delaying your first dispensing may reduce the total amount you will receive.  
  • * Even if a prescription is issued for 12 months, usual dispensing intervals of 1 to 6 will still apply.