From February 1st, GPs will be able to prescribe up to twelve months of medication at once.

It is likely that there WILL NOT be many patients where a 12 month script is appropriate, however for some a 6 month script MAY be suitable.

Be aware that a repeat prescription involves much more than just ticking a box and pressing send. Whilst doing a repeat prescription we check:

• Have you been seen in the practice or in hospital since your last visit or prescription request? Do we need to see you for follow-up?

• When did you last see us for a proper review of your medications? Do you actually need an appointment this time?

• Are the medications prescribed still appropriate for you, is the dose still correct, is this medication still best practice (things can change quickly in the medical field).

• Are your blood tests up-to-date? Eg deteriorating kidney function may mean doses of medications need to change.

• When was your blood pressure last done?

• Is your screening up up-to-date e.g. mammograms and cervical screening?

• You haven’t asked for a prescription for the last five months; are you actually taking your medications as prescribed?

• You have only asked for repeats for two out of your four medications; are you taking all of your medications as prescribed?

So virtual prescription reviews are a good safety net between appointments to ensure that your health is optimised. If we don’t look at your notes for 6-12 months this safety net is lost.

The government has said that GPs doing longer scripts will free up time to see more complex patients. This is not true. There is no capacity to see more patients because current funding does not provide for it. Scripts are already done in our lunch breaks and at the end of the day – doing less scripts wont free up extra appointment slots.

The government has said that longer scripts will save New Zealanders money. This is also not true. New Zealanders now understand that general practice is underfunded and at a crisis point. Practices charge a fee for the work involved, as explained above, to process a repeat prescription. General practice funding is so dire that the income received from repeat prescriptions is a significant part of their total income. If this income is lost, practices will need to raise their patient copayments for appointments, charge more for other services and create new charges for services that are currently free. If practices do not do this, they will need to cut services, make staff redundant or close completely, all measures that would result in worse patient care.

The government “consulted” on this with the Royal College of General Practitioners, GenPro (General Practice Owners Association) and the Treasury and ALL said this was not a sound idea. But it seems that the government really just wants a good political soundbite.

So be prepared to have a chat with your doctor about whether longer scripts are suitable for you (you CANNOT request a script longer than three months from reception). Don’t be upset if it’s deemed that they are not. And please don’t be surprised if you see prices increasing. This isn’t something we want but will be something we are forced into.