I have been banging on about e-prescriptions of late and this led me to consider my own chequered history in the art of prescription writing. 

One of the first lessons I learnt on becoming a GP was that not every patient needs a prescription and that I could conclude a consultation without handing over a piece of sacred paper.  

But I didn’t start with this attitude. 

Repeat prescriptions aside, most patients who present with new symptoms, expect to leave the consultation with a prescription, whether they need it or not.