30 July 2026
Important Information About Some Hospital Prescriptions
Why is my GP practice not taking on some specialist medicines?
Oakmeadow Surgery wants to explain a change that may affect some patients who receive specialist medicines that are started and monitored by hospital teams.
What is changing?
From July 2026, GP practices taking part in BMA collective action may decide not to take on new prescribing arrangements for some specialist medicines where the work involved is not appropriately funded.
This means that some medicines that would previously have been prescribed by your GP after being started by a hospital specialist may continue to be prescribed by the hospital team instead.
Why is this happening?
This decision has not been taken lightly. General practice is facing significant and ongoing funding pressures, while demand for appointments and healthcare services continues to increase.
Many specialist medicines require much more than simply issuing a prescription. They often involve:
- Regular blood test monitoring
- Reviewing test results
- Following up patients who miss monitoring appointments
- Contacting patients and arranging appointments
- Checking that treatment remains safe
- Liaising with hospital specialists
- Acting on dose changes and safety alerts
- Maintaining detailed clinical records and audits
All of this work takes considerable clinical, pharmacy and administrative time. Unfortunately, funding for these services has not kept pace with the increasing workload, complexity of care or rising staffing costs.
Is this about patient safety?
Yes. Long term patient safety is at the heart of this decision.
Specialist medicines can have significant risks and often require careful monitoring. GP practices should only take on prescribing responsibilities when they have the resources and capacity to do so safely. Taking on more work than can be safely delivered risks affecting the quality of care provided to all patients.
By ensuring prescribing responsibilities remain with the specialist team when appropriate, patients can continue to receive care from the clinicians with the most expertise in managing these medicines.
How will I get my medication?
If your GP practice does not take on a new prescribing request, your hospital specialist team remains responsible for ensuring you receive your medication.
This may mean that:
- The hospital continues to prescribe the medicine.
- Prescriptions are provided through the hospital pharmacy service.
- The specialist team arranges any necessary monitoring and follow-up.
- If you are unsure how to obtain your medication, please contact your hospital team in the first instance.
What if I am already receiving these medicines through my GP?
For most patients, existing prescribing arrangements that are already in place will continue as normal. This change mainly affects new requests for GPs to take on prescribing responsibility.
Will this change in the future?
We hope so. General practice has a long history of working closely with hospital colleagues to provide care closer to home for patients. We want to continue offering these services wherever possible.
If appropriate funding and resources are made available to support the workload involved, practices would be in a much stronger position to continue taking on these prescribing arrangements safely and sustainably.
Finally:
Thank you for your understanding. We understand that changes to how medicines are prescribed can be worrying and sometimes frustrating.
This action is intended to highlight the growing pressures facing general practice and the need for sustainable funding so that GP services can continue to provide safe, high-quality care for all patients.
Our priority remains the same as yours: safe, effective patient care delivered by the right clinician, in the right setting, at the right time.
If you have questions about your medication, please speak to your hospital specialist team or contact the practice for advice.
Last updated: 30 July 2026