Welby Innovate’s prescribing and recall modules are designed to streamline long-term medication management and improve patient safety. To function effectively, these modules rely on accurate, consistent use of repeat prescriptions across all patient treatments. This article outlines best practices and special considerations when setting up medications in SystmOne to work seamlessly with Welby’s systems.

• Why Use Repeat Prescriptions?
• Review Dates vs Maximum Issues
• Special Cases: When Maximum Issues Make Sense
• Summary of Recommendations

Why Use Repeat Prescriptions?

For the recall and medication review system to work as intended, all regular treatments—including PRN (“as needed”) medications—should be issued as repeat prescriptions. This allows the system to ...

• Track ongoing treatment accurately
• Align medication reviews with relevant monitoring (e.g., bloods, blood pressure)
• Prompt appropriate recall actions at the right time
• Avoid manual oversight or missed reviews

Review Dates vs Maximum Issues

We recommend that practices use "review dates" rather than "maximum number of issues" when managing ongoing therapies. This ensures that ...

• Prescriptions remain available without disruption up to the review date
• Medication reviews are triggered based on clinical appropriateness, not just issue counts
• Annual reviews and monitoring can be synchronised across a patient's full treatment plan

Special Cases: When Maximum Issues Make Sense

Not all medications are meant for long-term use. Some treatments have defined durations that fall between a one-off prescription and lifelong therapy. In these situations, using maximum number of issues can be appropriate.

Examples include:

• Folic Acid 5mg for 12 weeks:
  NICE recommends folic acid supplementation for 12 weeks to treat low levels. This can be prescribed in several ways:
  A single acute prescription for the full course
  Monthly acute prescriptions (requires more clinician input)
  As a repeat with 4 maximum issues, prompting review at the end of 12 weeks

• Iron replacement therapy:
  Often required for 8–12 weeks. Again, issuing on repeat with a set number of issues improves continuity and ensures follow-up.

• Prophylactic antibiotics for recurrent UTIs:
  For defined short-term prevention courses (e.g. 3 months), setting a maximum number of issues enables automated review at the end.

•  Short-term Orlistat therapy:

A 3-month trial with lifestyle support may be prescribed using repeats with three issues, followed by reassessment.

Summary of Recommendations

By aligning medication setups with these principles, practices can unlock the full value of Welby Innovate’s prescribing intelligence—boosting patient safety, improving workflow efficiency, and ensuring timely reviews.

If you're unsure how best to handle a specific case, speak with your practice’s clinical systems lead or contact Welby support for guidance.