Good news: you don't need your own pharmacy. Any UK pharmacist can make an emergency supply of a medicine you are already prescribed, and NHS 111 refers you to a pharmacy near where you are now, not near home. The hard part is proving what you take, so start there.
Step 1: prove what you take
- The NHS App (England) shows your repeat medicines in its prescriptions section. Show it to the pharmacist.
- A photo of the box or pharmacy label, or ask someone at home to send one.
- In England, the pharmacist may also be able to check your NHS record with your permission.
Step 2: choose the route
| If… | Do this |
|---|---|
| A pharmacy is open nearby | Walk in and ask for an emergency supply. In England you may pay a private price. The rules |
| It's evening, a weekend or a bank holiday | Use the 111 online emergency prescription service with your current location. Out-of-hours plan |
| You're in Scotland | Community pharmacies can help; out of hours call NHS 24 on 111 |
| You're in Wales | Ask a pharmacy about the Emergency Medicines Supply service, or use NHS 111 Wales |
| You're in Northern Ireland | Ask a community pharmacy about the Emergency Supply Service, or contact GP out-of-hours |
| It's an ADHD medicine, a strong painkiller, pregabalin or gabapentin | A pharmacist can't supply these in an emergency. Use NHS 111 to reach a prescriber. Why |
Step 3: what you'll get and what it costs
Usually enough to last until you're home, up to 30 days for most medicines (less for some controlled drugs, and a pack for inhalers and insulin): limits by medicine. Cost: emergency prescription cost.
The full picture: our NHS 111 emergency supply guide.
Questions people ask
Can any pharmacy give me an emergency supply, or only my usual one?
Any pharmacy in the UK. The pharmacist has to be satisfied the medicine has been prescribed for you before, which is easier at your usual pharmacy, so bring proof: the box or label, your repeat slip, or the prescriptions section of the NHS App.
I am abroad. Does this work?
No. These are UK rules and UK services. Abroad, ask a local pharmacy or doctor; your travel insurance helpline can often point you to one.
Related pages
Emergency supply: the full guide
Both routes, the quantity limits, the costs and the out-of-hours plan.
Pharmacist emergency supply rules
The three things a pharmacist must be satisfied of, how much they can give, and why they sometimes say no.
Can NHS 111 prescribe?
What 111 can and cannot do about a prescription, and what it actually does when you say you have run out.
Out of hours, weekends and bank holidays
Where to go when your GP surgery is shut and the usual pharmacy is closed.
Controlled drugs, ADHD medicine and insulin
Why a pharmacy cannot hand over ADHD or opioid medicine, and the rules that do let them help with insulin.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The devolved emergency supply services and how they differ from England.
111 online emergency prescription, step by step
The NHS 111 online emergency prescription service: what it asks and what happens next.
Emergency supply by medicine
Inhalers, insulin, epilepsy, antidepressants, HRT, the pill and ADHD medicine: what you can get for each.
How much an emergency prescription costs
NHS 111 referral vs walking into a pharmacy, who pays nothing, and how to pay the least.
Medicine stock checker
National shortage status plus a call list of nearby pharmacies.
Track your medicine free
Get an email if your medicine enters or leaves a national shortage. Free, and alerts are rare — that is good news.
Track a medicine free →Written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked against the official sources above on 27 October 2026. This page is information, not medical advice. Always follow your pharmacist, GP, specialist, NHS 111 or urgent-care advice for your own medicine. Report an accuracy issue.
This page was written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked for accuracy against NHS, NHSBSA and legislation.gov.uk guidance. Shortage information comes from official DHSC medicine supply notifications and NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols. See our editorial policy and data sources.