The short version
- Run out, or about to miss a dose? Use 111 online's emergency prescription service (England, 24/7). It usually ends with a pharmacy referral for an urgent supply.
- Not urgent? Request your repeat in the NHS App. With a chosen pharmacy it is usually ready in 3–5 days. The NHS asks you to allow 5 working days.
- Pharmacy open right now? You can also ask the pharmacist directly for an emergency supply, but you may have to pay.
- Controlled drugs are different. Pharmacists cannot make an emergency supply of Schedule 2 or 3 medicines at your request, so 111 routes you to a prescriber.
Which route should you use?
The NHS emergency prescriptions guidance lists the routes in order: 111 online, a pharmacy, an urgent treatment centre, your GP surgery or its out-of-hours service, and A&E for genuine emergencies. Which one fits depends on how soon your next dose is due.
| Your situation | Best route | How fast |
|---|---|---|
| Next dose due in more than a week | NHS App repeat request (or your GP surgery / pharmacy) | Usually ready in 3–5 days |
| Running low, GP open | Call your GP surgery and say it is urgent | Same or next day, practice-dependent |
| Run out or next dose due before your GP reopens | NHS 111 online emergency prescription service | Same day where a pharmacy is open |
| Pharmacy open now, medicine you already take | Ask the pharmacist for an emergency supply | Often immediate; you may pay |
| Controlled drug (for example Elvanse, morphine) | 111 online or call 111; out-of-hours GP | Needs a prescriber |
| Missing the medicine has made you unwell | Call 111, or 999 / A&E in an emergency | Immediate |
Request an emergency prescription on 111 online, step by step
Have your medicine box or repeat slip in front of you before you start. It makes every step faster.
- Go to 111.nhs.uk/emergency-prescription. This is the dedicated emergency prescription route, rather than the general symptom checker.
- Confirm your location. 111 uses your postcode to find services that are open near you now, so give the postcode where you are, not necessarily your home.
- Name the medicine exactly. Name, strength, form (tablet, capsule, inhaler, patch) and dose. "Sertraline 100mg tablets, one a day" is what it needs.
- Say when your next dose is due and how many doses you have left. This drives how urgent the response is.
- Answer the safety questions honestly. If you are already unwell because of a missed dose, say so; you may be directed to a clinician instead.
- Follow the outcome. Most often you are told which pharmacy has been sent a referral. Note the name and opening hours, and go before it closes.
Checklist: what to have ready before you start
- The medicine box, label or repeat slip, so you can read out the exact name, strength and form.
- Your usual dose and when you last took it.
- The postcode where you are now, and how far you can travel tonight.
- Your GP surgery's name, and your NHS number if you know it (it is in the NHS App).
- Any allergies and other medicines you take.
- A phone that can take a call or text back, in case a clinician needs to contact you.
- If you are asking for someone else, their details and permission to act for them.
Missing one of these will not stop you using the service, but it is the most common reason a request takes longer than it needs to.
What happens after you submit
NHS 111 does not dispense medicine, and its call advisers are not prescribers (what 111 actually does). There are three common outcomes.
| Outcome | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Referral to a community pharmacy | The pharmacy receives an electronic referral and expects you. The pharmacist still makes the clinical decision. In England this sits within the Pharmacy First service as an NHS supply. |
| Referral to an out-of-hours GP or urgent treatment centre | A clinician who can prescribe assesses you and can issue a prescription. Typical for controlled drugs, new medicines or dose questions. |
| Advice to call 999 or go to A&E | When missing the medicine has caused, or is about to cause, an emergency. |
At the pharmacy, take proof of identity if you can and your medicine box. The pharmacist will usually supply enough to bridge you to your next prescription; the legal ceiling for most medicines is 30 days' treatment, and smaller limits apply to some (see our pharmacist emergency supply guide).
Request a repeat in the NHS App, step by step
For anything that is not urgent, the NHS App is the quickest route that does not involve a phone queue. The NHS App help pages describe it like this.
- Log in and select Prescriptions. You need NHS login with your identity verified to the level the app asks for.
- Choose your pharmacy once. Under Prescriptions you can choose a pharmacy (a "nominated" pharmacy). Your electronic prescriptions then go there automatically. You can change it at any time, which is handy if your usual pharmacy is out of stock.
- Select "Request a repeat prescription". Tick the medicines you need. Only medicines your GP has set up as repeats appear.
- Use the message box if your surgery offers one, for example "going away on the 14th" or "pharmacy cannot get 50mg, please consider 2 x 25mg". Keep it short.
- Submit and wait for approval. Your GP surgery reviews the request. The app shows its status.
- Collect. With a chosen pharmacy it usually takes 3–5 days before your prescription is ready to collect. Some pharmacies text you when it is ready.
"If you have a chosen pharmacy, it usually takes 3-5 days before your prescription is ready to collect."
NHS App help: requesting a prescription
Timing is the whole game. The NHS asks you to allow 5 working days to request a prescription and get your medicine. Request around 7–10 days before you run out and you will rarely need 111 at all.
If your medicine is not listed in the app
The NHS gives these reasons a medicine might be missing, or cannot be requested yet.
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| It was a one-off course (for example antibiotics) | Contact your GP surgery; it is not a repeat. |
| Not prescribed recently, or due a medication review | Book the review or ask the surgery to re-authorise it. |
| Prescribed while you lived outside England | Ask your new GP surgery to add it. |
| A controlled or strong medicine | Many practices handle these outside the app. Request by phone or online form. |
| You are on repeat dispensing | No request needed; collect from your pharmacy when due. |
| Too soon since your last request, or awaiting approval | Wait, or call the surgery if you will run out. |
| Your GP does not allow it to be requested in the app | Use the surgery's usual request method. |
If the app will not let you request something and you will run out before the surgery can help, that is exactly when the NHS App guidance says to use NHS 111 online or call 111.
Costs and exemptions
- NHS App repeats are normal NHS prescriptions: the standard NHS prescription charge in England, unless you are exempt or have a prepayment certificate.
- An urgent supply after a 111 referral is an NHS supply, so normal charges and exemptions apply.
- A walk-in emergency supply you request yourself under regulation 225 is a private supply: the pharmacy may charge for the medicine and a fee.
Controlled drugs and other exceptions
A pharmacist cannot make an emergency supply at a patient's request of a Schedule 1, 2 or 3 controlled drug, with the single exception of phenobarbital for epilepsy. That covers ADHD stimulants such as Elvanse and Concerta XL, and strong painkillers such as morphine and oxycodone. For these, 111 online will route you to a prescriber, and planning ahead matters even more: many practices do not take controlled-drug requests through the NHS App. Read controlled drugs and emergency supply, and, for ADHD medicines specifically, our ADHD medication stock checker guide.
If the problem is a shortage, not a prescription
Sometimes you have a valid prescription and the pharmacy simply cannot get the medicine. That is a supply problem, and 111 cannot fix it. Check the national position first on our live shortage tracker. If there is a national notice, your pharmacist may be able to use a Serious Shortage Protocol to supply an alternative without a new prescription, or your prescriber can change it. If there is not, another pharmacy may have stock: use our stock checker for nearby pharmacies to phone, and change your nominated pharmacy in the NHS App so the next prescription goes there.
Questions people ask
Can I request an emergency prescription online through NHS 111?
Yes, in England. NHS 111 online has an emergency prescription service at 111.nhs.uk/emergency-prescription. It asks where you are and when your next dose is due, then suggests the best option, which is often a referral to a pharmacy that can make an urgent supply.
Can I order a repeat prescription through NHS 111?
Not as a routine repeat. NHS 111 is for when you have run out or will miss a dose before your GP can help. Routine repeats go through your GP surgery, the NHS App or your pharmacy. The NHS asks you to allow 5 working days for a routine repeat.
How long does a repeat prescription take on the NHS App?
The NHS App help pages say that with a chosen pharmacy it usually takes 3 to 5 days before your prescription is ready to collect.
Why is my medicine not listed in the NHS App?
The NHS lists several reasons: it was a one-off course, it has not been prescribed recently, it was prescribed while you lived outside England, it is a controlled or strong medicine, or you are on repeat dispensing, which does not need a request. Your GP surgery can also stop a medicine being requested through the app, or need a medication review first.
Do I pay for an emergency supply arranged through 111?
When NHS 111 refers you to a pharmacy for an urgent supply, it is an NHS supply, so normal prescription charges and exemptions apply. If you walk into a pharmacy and ask for an emergency supply yourself, the pharmacist may charge for the medicine.
Can 111 online help with a controlled drug?
It can direct you, but a pharmacist cannot make an emergency supply of Schedule 1, 2 or 3 controlled drugs at a patient's request (phenobarbital for epilepsy is the exception). For medicines such as Elvanse, Concerta XL, morphine or oxycodone, 111 will usually route you to a prescriber, such as an out-of-hours GP service.
Is 111 online available at night?
Yes. NHS 111 online is available 24 hours a day. What it can arrange depends on which pharmacies and out-of-hours services are open where you are.
Related pages
Emergency medicine supply
Every route to medicine today, ranked.
Can NHS 111 prescribe?
What 111 can and cannot do.
Pharmacist emergency supply
Walk-in supply, limits and costs.
Out of hours
Nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Controlled drugs
Why some medicines need a prescriber.
NHS 111 emergency supply guide
The full overview.
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Track a medicine →Written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked against the official sources above on 2 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 NHS England Serious Shortage Protocols. See our editorial policy and data sources.