Moving to Edinburgh? Sorting Your Prescriptions Without the Stress

Every autumn a good number of people arrive in this part of town with a suitcase, a new address and a packet of tablets that is going to run out in a fortnight. Students mostly, but far from only. It is one of the most common conversations we have across the counter, so it is worth setting out plainly.

Register with a GP, but do not wait for it

Registering with a practice is the thing to get moving on, because it is what gives you a continuing NHS supply. It is also the thing most likely to take a few weeks. You do not have to sit and wait with an empty box in the meantime.

You can register with a practice near your new address without needing proof of a permanent tenancy in most cases, and you do not have to deregister from your old one first. Bring your address and, if you have it, your CHI number.

What we can do while you are waiting

If you have run out of a regular medicine and cannot get to a GP in time, a pharmacist can often supply an emergency amount to keep you going. It is a proper consultation rather than a formality: we need to be satisfied the medicine is one you take regularly and that continuing it is appropriate.

Bring whatever evidence you have. An old repeat slip, the box with the dispensing label still on it, or a screenshot of your prescription list from your previous surgery's app all help. The more we can see, the more straightforward it is.

Some things a pharmacy can treat outright

Separately from prescriptions, NHS Pharmacy First means a pharmacist in Scotland can assess and treat a range of common conditions without you seeing a GP at all, free to anyone eligible. That covers a good deal of what people would otherwise book an appointment for.

You do not need to be registered with us, or with any practice nearby, to use it. That matters if you have just arrived and your paperwork is still in the post.

What still needs a GP

A pharmacist cannot start you on a new long-term medicine on the NHS, change a dose that a specialist set, or take over monitoring for a condition that needs regular blood tests and review. Those need a practice, which is the reason to get registered even though the emergency route exists.

If you are unsure which side of that line your situation falls on, come and ask. It takes two minutes and it is free.

What to bring with you

A list of everything you take, including the dose and how often. Anything you buy over the counter or online counts too, as do supplements. If you have allergies to any medicine, tell us at the start rather than at the end.

We are on Forrest Road, a few minutes from the university and the Old Town. You are welcome to call in and ask before you need anything, which is generally the easiest time to sort it out.