The term private prescription is a term used in the United Kingdom for a medical prescription which is not supplied under the National Health Service (NHS).
Unlike for NHS prescription there is no special stationery as mandated by the General Medical Council; a private prescription can be printed or handwritten by an authorised prescriber on any piece of paper, except that since July 2006 the Department of Health has required private prescriptions for a Controlled Drug to be prescribed on specified paperwork, the FP10PCD.
A patient usually has to pay a fee to a private practice doctor, and then pay the dispensing pharmacy for the medicine; the price may be more or less than the standard NHS prescription charge. The charge for the medication is based on cost price and markup, as is usual in retail, plus a dispensing fee. The NHS prescription charge in England is a standard fee which is not related to the cost of the drug or quantity supplied; there is no charge for NHS prescriptions in Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales.