A private prescription is a United Kingdom Medical term that refers to a prescription funded by the patient, rather than the National Health Service.
Unlike NHS prescriptions, a private prescription can be written on any piece of paper and a doctor may also write their own private prescriptions - this is against General Medical Council regulations if done with an NHS prescription.
A patient usually has to pay a fee to a private practice doctor, and then another fee to the pharmacy dispensing the medicine - the fee may be more or less than the standard NHS prescription charge. The fee is based on the cost of the drug and the amount supplied, plus a dispensing fee which may be a flat rate or calculated from the cost of the drug. The NHS prescription charge is a standard fee which is not related to the cost of the drug or quantity supplied.