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Repeat prescription and authority support letter template

Australian documentation guide

A supporting letter body for a repeat-prescription or authority request. It documents the request; it is not a prescription, an approval or a new treatment recommendation.

The blank template

How to fill it in

  1. Copy the blank template into your record system.
  2. Fill in what was discussed or assessed. Keep uncertainty visible, and use [not stated] where required information is missing.
  3. Check the details and any gaps before saving or sharing. The clinician must explicitly confirm any generated content.

Medications

Identify the medicine the request concerns using the documented name, strength, formulation and existing directions. Give the source and date where available. Keep the person’s reported use distinct from the prescription record, and leave discrepancies visible for the prescriber.

Do not choose a dose, add repeats or substitute a product to complete the letter. If the required medicine information is absent, use [not stated]. This section records available information; it does not authorise supply.

Indication

Record the indication explicitly documented by the clinician. Preserve a working diagnosis or uncertainty as stated. Do not infer the indication from the medicine name or generate criteria that make a request appear eligible for funding.

If the source does not state an indication, leave it missing for review. Any applicable prescribing or programme requirements need to be checked in the real prescribing workflow rather than assumed from a completed letter field.

Request

State who is asking for what: prescriber review, supporting information or a documented authority-related action. Distinguish a request from an application submitted, an approval received and a prescription issued. Include an actual reference or status only when available; do not turn a draft into evidence of approval.

The template name does not establish that a medicine needs PBS authority. When an authority process is relevant, keep its verified status separate from the person’s request and the prescriber’s decision. Include the agreed next step and owner when documented, without supplying a new clinical plan.

Common omissions

Look for an unclear medicine or formulation, old directions presented as current, a missing indication and an approval described without evidence. Check whether the requested prescription has already been issued so the correspondence reflects the current situation.

Review before sending

Confirm the exact request and its supporting facts with the clinician’s record. Check identifiers, recipient and any actual supporting documents through the usual secure process. The prescriber must review the request in the appropriate workflow; this supporting letter does not itself grant repeats, establish eligibility, approve authority or create a prescription.

Worked examples

A documented request for prescriber review

Fictional example. Made up for this guide; no patient record was used. It shows how to write a record, with gaps left visible. It is not a care plan or a record to copy into someone's chart.

MEDICATIONS: The person requests review of their existing colecalciferol prescription. The current record and labelled container both state 1,000 units by mouth once daily, reviewed with the GP today. These are existing directions in the fictional record, not a new dose recommendation.
INDICATION: The GP's record states previously diagnosed vitamin D deficiency. No new diagnosis or interpretation of a result is recorded at this visit.
REQUEST: The person asks the GP to review whether a further prescription is appropriate. The GP has not yet issued a prescription in the available record. No PBS authority application or approval is documented; this request does not establish that authority is needed.

An authority-support draft with essential details absent

Fictional example. Made up for this guide; no patient record was used. It shows how to write a record, with gaps left visible. It is not a care plan or a record to copy into someone's chart.

MEDICATIONS: [not stated]
INDICATION: [not stated]
REQUEST: Authority support has been requested. The medicine, applicable requirements, supporting information and intended recipient are not stated in this extract. No submitted application, approval or prescription is established.

Related templates

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Approved for publication by Tyson, 4 October 2026

Sources

Free to copy and adapt this template and guide, including for use in your practice. Sources linked above retain their own terms.

Use this guide to help write the record. It provides no clinical advice. The clinician remains responsible for checking that the record is accurate and complete. Check Medicare requirements, statutory forms and local policies separately.