Repeat Prescriptions
From the 1st September 2023, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS, regulatory body the veterinary profession in the UK) is introducing new guidance on prescribing prescription-only medicines. The full guidance can be found at:
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/under-care-new-guidance/
The new guidance requires that a physical examination of the pet has to be performed every time any antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasiticides are prescribed. This includes topical preparations such as ear and eye drops and all prescription flea, tick and worm products.
This guidance is an important step towards ensuring responsible antibiotic use and reducing the veterinary impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline of insect populations.
What this means in practice is that your pet will need to come in for an in-person consultation every time:
- We need to prescribe medication for an ear infection (as most products contain antibiotics)
- We need to prescribe antibiotics for any skin problem, even if it is a chronic ongoing issue
- We or you decide to change from one flea/tick/worm product to another
- We suspect a urinary tract infection (just dropping a sample in for analysis is no longer sufficient)
- We suspect a gastrointestinal issue that requires antibiotics. Faecal analysis alone is not sufficient
We will be unable to prescribe prescription deworming product on the basis of a laboratory report alone; we will need to see the pet for a consultation and physical examination first.
For longer term prescription medication that is not an antibiotic/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring an examination every 6 months (or every 3 months in some more serious cases) continues to apply.
The consultations are charged at our usual fee of £38.75 - £52.49 depending on whether it is an initial consultation or one for a recurring problem.
Please be aware; we can only supply Veterinary Prescription Only Medications (POM-V’s) to animals under our care that have previously received the requested medication.
Pets requiring repeat medications will need to have a repeat set up on their record and will need to be re-examined at the appropriate intervals to ensure prescribed drug and dose remains appropriate.
If your pet does not have a repeat set up and/or their prescribing period has expired; we will not be able to dispense POM-V’s without a re-examination.
Repeat Prescriptions can be collected from Minehead or Williton. These must be paid for in full on collection.
Please call us to discuss more complex requests or if you are unsure what medication you might need.
Please allow at least 24 hours from requesting repeat medications to collecting them.
