A Guide to New Medicine Service

The New Medicine Service (NMS) is a free service from the NHS, which allows community pharmacists to provide support to patients who have been prescribed a new medication for the first time to treat a long-term condition. For the first few weeks, the patient and pharmacist will work together to ensure that the medication is being used effectively and safely. The aim of this service is to leave the patient with a better understanding of their long-term condition, an improvement in medication adherence and how best to manage their symptoms.

How Does it Work?

The service can be split into three stages which we will outline below.

• Patient Engagement: Once prescribed, the medicine will be dispensed for the patient’s use. Advice about the use of the medicine will be given as usual, and the opportunity to use the NMS will be offered to the patient. If accepted, the pharmacist and patient will agree on a date and time for your first consultation. This will normally occur 7-14 days after the patient begins their treatment.
• Intervention: The first consultation will occur either face-to-face in the pharmacist’s consultation room, or via telephone/video chat. The appointment will last approximately 10-15 minutes. The pharmacist and patient will discuss how the treatment and the taking of the medication has been going, address any issues, and conclude whether the patient needs further support or information. A final follow up appointment will be scheduled.
• Follow Up: The pharmacist and patient will have another consultation, 2-3 weeks later. Similar to Stage 2, this consultation is an opportunity for both parties to address any issues and to find out how the treatment is going, determining whether further support is needed. After this, the service ends, but the patient may contact the pharmacist with any queries that arise.

Resources for Pharmacists Providing NMS

If you are a pharmacist, who is interested in providing this service, you must have the necessary knowledge and skills to do so. You can declare your competency by completing the following NHS self-assessment form.

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A range of learning materials can also be accessed through the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) website. These learning materials will allow you to further improve your knowledge and skill base.

Find them here 

For a full service specification (updated 1st September 2021), please click here.