Residents asked to ‘plan ahead when ordering prescriptions’ this Christmas
The Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) team will be available for patients to order any repeat prescriptions until 4pm on Christmas Eve (Friday 24 December) and will re-open on Wednesday 29 December.
The team will also be available between 8am - 5pm on Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December, then returning to regular service on Tuesday 4 January.
Please be aware that there is likely to be a backlog of emails during the Christmas week, so residents are asked to please allow 48 hours for the team to receive and reply to email requests.
Stephanie Munro, POD Service Manager at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG, said: “If you have a regular prescription requirement, we are currently able to allow ten days between order and collection. This helps GP practices and pharmacies to ensure prescriptions are authorised and dispensed safely and efficiently.”
As the NHS faces its busiest winter, the CCG is also reminding patients that pharmacists and pharmacy staff can help with many minor health concerns and are available to discuss symptoms.
Stephanie added: “Many pharmacies offer a ‘common ailments service’ and are able to provide some medicines free of charge for a range of conditions, such as sore throats, indigestion, constipation and diarrhoea, without needing to see a doctor.
“You can also check symptoms online quickly and easily on the NHS 111 website (111.nhs.uk). It has lots of advice for common illnesses, so should be your first choice when accessing healthcare for non-urgent reasons.
“It’s also a good idea to make sure your medicine cabinet and first aid kit are fully stocked as you may well be able to manage minor conditions without even leaving your home.”
If you are in need of a pharmacist over Christmas, there will be a number of pharmacies across the county open to help. To find your local pharmacy holiday opening hours please click here.
You can contact the POD phone and email service at: Shropshire POD 03333 583 509 (shropshire.pod@nhs.net) and Telford and Wrekin POD 01952 580 350 (tw.pod@nhs.net).
For more information on the service, please visit the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin CCG website.
