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9.1: Repeat prescribing

The Medical Council of New Zealand Good prescribing practice outlines the requirements of prescribing and the expected conduct of prescribing doctors.

Prescribing conduct is an activity between a patient and a doctor, any misconduct is managed by the Medical Council with possible Health and Disability Commissioner and Disciplinary Tribunal involvement.

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9.1 The practice has a documented policy for repeat prescribing.
  • A documented repeat prescribing policy and procedure.
  • Annual audits of repeat prescribing activity in accordance with the policy.

Repeat prescribing

Repeat prescribing is a continuation of the original prescribing activity and involves administration and team member involvement. Because errors can also occur with repeat prescribing, especially as more personnel are involved, it requires a robust process with close controls.

The appropriateness of long-term repeat prescribing and repeat prescribing without a consultation is a matter of professional judgement.

The documented policy for repeat prescribing needs to outline a reliable, safe and consistent approach to repeat prescribing.

Before signing a repeat prescription, the secure procedures need to ensure:

  • The patient is issued with the correct prescription
  • Each prescription is regularly reviewed so that it is not issued for a medicine that is no longer required
  • The correct dose is prescribed for medicines where the dose varies throughout the duration of the treatment
  • Any subsidy conditions that have changed since the last prescription are amended
  • All relevant information has been reviewed before completing the prescription

12 month prescription length and repeat prescribing (updated 01/11/25)

The Government has announced a new initiative to extend the maximum prescription length from 3 months to 12 months. This change is expected to come into effect in early 2026.

Prescribers and practices can use the College's twelve-month prescribing in general practice position statement and resources as well as this guidance to apply these new changes safely and effectively in practice. You can read the position statement, download the resources and read recent media articles on the 12-month prescribing hub.

What actions does a practice need to take to get ready for the change to 12 month prescribing?

Prior to February 2026, the practice along with the clinical governance group, will need to review and update the following areas:

The Repeat Prescribing Policy
Practices must update their documented repeat prescribing policy to reflect the new prescribing duration. This includes clear criteria for when 12-month prescriptions are appropriate and when shorter intervals are clinically indicated.

Review clinical judgement & safety
Prescribers must assess individual patient risk, medication type, and monitoring needs. Longer prescriptions may reduce barriers to access but also pose risks due to reduced contact and monitoring.

Patients who need a further examination or assessment must not receive repeat prescriptions without being seen by a doctor or nurse practitioner. This is particularly important in the case of medicines with potentially serious side effects.

Review & monitoring
Repeat prescriptions must include a defined review interval. Annual reviews are a minimum, but more frequent assessments may be necessary based on patient condition and medication risks.

The practice’s repeat prescribing policy must include a definition of what constitutes ‘appropriate regular’ review. This will take into consideration individual patients needs and specific medications.

Collaboration with pharmacists
Strengthen communication pathways with pharmacists to support safe prescribing, flag concerns, and clarify monitoring needs for extended prescriptions.

Auditing
Annual audits remain mandatory. Practices must differentiate Māori from non-Māori in audit results to identify and address inequities. If audits show non-compliance, improvement actions and follow-up audits are required.

NB: There is a sample template in the resources below which practices can adapt and utilise to audit their policy and performance.

e-Prescribing
If the practice is utilising e-Prescribing, there must be a documented process for this. In a pandemic or other event with severe disruption to services, this process may be updated to include any special provisions, or changes to prescribing regulations.

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Dr Nadine Kuiper gives a patient an injection

Repeat prescribing policy

Repeat prescribing policy and procedure must include:

  • A reliable, safe, and consistent approach to repeat prescribing including roles and responsibilities
  • Assessment guidelines on a regular basis to ensure that the prescription remains appropriate
  • A definition of what constitutes ‘appropriate regular’ review
  • After the change to 12 monthly prescribing: Clear criteria for when 12-month prescriptions are appropriate and when shorter intervals are clinically indicated.
  • Guidelines around some medical conditions and categories of medicines
  • Additional measures to optimise Māori access to repeat prescriptions and collection of medicines
  • An e-prescribing process (if applicable)
  • How the policy is always accessible to the clinical team
  • Annual auditing process which include audits that differentiate Māori from non-Māori
  • How audits will be discussed and actioned at clinical governance meetings.

NB: Your practice policies/procedures, need to adhere to the general structure suggested here and include document control measures.

Links to resources