2026 Changes to Prescription Regulations

Proposed Changes to Prescription Regulations: What You Need to Know

The Government is considering changes that may allow certain patients to receive prescriptions lasting up to 12 months. While this legislation is not yet confirmed, we know many patients are interested in what this could mean.

What’s Changing?

If approved, eligible patients could receive prescriptions valid for up to 12 months. However, this will only apply to a small group of patients and will always be at your GP’s discretion for safety reasons.

Who Might Be Eligible?

Based on current guidance, patients may qualify if they:

• Have clinically stable medical conditions
• Have had no medication changes in the past six months
• Do not require ongoing monitoring (e.g., blood tests or blood pressure checks)
• Are not prescribed controlled medications
• Are willing to book an in-person review in 12 months for a structured medication review and care planning

Who Will Be Excluded?

Patients will not be eligible if they:

• Take controlled medications (e.g., opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulant medications including ADHD treatments)
• Require regular monitoring or have unstable conditions
• Use medications intermittently (e.g., for migraines, pain relief, or sleep)

Important Notes

• Even with a 12-month prescription, pharmacies will still dispense medication in 3-month supplies.
• Prescriptions will be linked to one designated pharmacy, and all repeats must be collected from that location.

What Should I Do Now?

If you’d like to know whether you might be eligible for a 12-month prescription in the future, talk to your regular GP or Nurse Practitioner at your next appointment. They can advise based on your health history and medication needs.

How Will QMC Manage This?

• We’ll be working with our doctors to identify eligible patients early. We plan to add an alert in your record showing whether you can have 3-, 6-, or 12-month prescriptions so it’s clear for everyone.
• If you’re eligible and take multiple medications, we’ll align all your prescriptions to the shortest timeframe needed for safety. For example, if one medication needs review every 3 months, all your prescriptions will follow that schedule—even if others could be 12 months. This keeps things simple and safe.
• The cost for prescription requests and medication reviews (consultations) will not vary regardless of whether your prescription is for 3, 6, or 12 months.
• Patients on intermittent medications (like migraine or sleep treatments) will still need to request these as usual, as they won’t appear as regular meds in ManageMyHealth.

QMC Next Steps:
We’ll continue to monitor these proposed changes and keep patients updated. If the legislation passes, we’ll review eligibility criteria and update our prescribing processes to ensure patient safety.

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