Even though I’m retired, I still take a keen interest in general practice. It’s hard not to. After many years in the job, you don’t simply switch off the part of your brain that watches how the system works — or doesn’t work. These days I find myself looking at NHS news with two hats on: the old practice‑manager hat, which understands the pressures behind the scenes, and the patient who now experiences the system from the waiting room.

It’s a strange mix at times, but it gives me a clearer view of what’s improving, what’s slipping, and what still matters most.

Here are two things that stood out for me this month.

1. No longer accepting prescription requests from pharmacies on patients' behalf

My own surgery has joined the growing number of practices that no longer accept prescription requests from pharmacies on behalf of patients. Speaking now as a patient — but with a lifetime of experience behind me — I think it’s the right decision.

Here’s why:

• Pharmacies are paid per item, and some continue ordering even after a patient has stopped a medication.

• This leads to waste, confusion, and in some cases, unsafe over‑ordering.

• Practices end up footing the administrative burden and dealing with the fallout.

It’s not uncommon for patients to come into the practice with bags or boxes of medication that have accumulated, believing they can be reused by others — when in reality, all of it has to be destroyed. It’s wasteful, expensive, and entirely avoidable.

Ordering directly — whether online, through the NHS App, or via the practice for those who need support — is safer and more accurate. It puts the patient back in control of their own medication and reduces the risk of unnecessary or duplicate prescriptions.

It’s not a national rule, but it’s a sensible local policy, and I’m glad my practice has adopted it.

2. I’ve Been Offered Lung Cancer Screening — And I’m Taking It Up

Another moment that struck me this month was receiving an invitation for lung cancer screening.

I think this is excellent. It’s proactive, evidence‑based, and exactly the kind of early‑detection work the NHS should be doing more of.

And on a personal level, it reminded me that the system can get things right — quietly, efficiently, without fuss. I’ll be taking up the offer.

Being only a patient, after a career in general practice, is a strange experience. You see the pressures more clearly, but you also see the small victories — the things that work, the things that still feel human.

As a patient, I am happy with my practice, and in the current climate that counts for a lot.

References

• NHS England — Guidance on repeat prescribing and patient‑ordered medication
• Community Pharmacy England — Information on pharmacy‑managed repeat prescriptions
• NHS App — Official guidance on ordering repeat prescriptions
• NHS England — Targeted Lung Health Checks (lung cancer screening programme)
• Local GP practice communications — Policy changes on pharmacy‑ordered prescriptions