Under current legislation, the NHS’s duty of care ends when a person has been absent, or intends to be away from the United Kingdom for a period of more than three months.
The practice can therefore only offer a supply of medications for up to three months. This is to allow the patient to find a prescriber at their destination.
Please also note, for some controlled drugs (e.g. stimulants for ADHD, opioids), we are unable to supply any more than 1 month.
Patients who return to the UK for the purpose of obtaining medication, or who use a local proxy to request prescriptions on their behalf will be refused supply. Patients will be directed to local services in their country of residence with the offer of supplying appropriate medical notes and a list of current medicines to their qualified medical practitioner.
Last modified: January 23, 2024