NHS New Medicine Service

The 3 stages of NMS

Patient Engagement

When we identify that you are taking a new medication, we will check to see If you qualify for an NMS. If you do, then we will give you information about the service and then send a notification to you to book a consultation with one of our NMS-trained pharmacists. This will be 7-14 days from the point you start taking your new medication. At the point of booking, we will also obtain consent from you for providing this service. This is required so we can communicate with your GP and provide information to NHS England, NHS Improvement, and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) if required.

Intervention

The first remote consultation usually lasts around 10 minutes. Our pharmacist will assess your adherence to the medicine(s), identify problems, and determine if you need further information and/or support.

Our pharmacist will provide advice and further support and will agree on one of the following next steps with you:

• That you are adhering to the medicine(s) and no problems have been identified – agree time for the follow-up consultation (typically between 14 and 21 days after this consultation)

• Problems are identified but it is the clinical judgment of our pharmacist that intervention by your prescriber or PCN clinical pharmacist is not required – agree on the time for the follow-up consultation (typically between 14 and 21 days after this consultation) and any appropriate remedial steps to be taken by you in the meantime. Such steps could include a reasonable adjustment (e.g. the use of items such as reminder charts)

• Problems are identified and it is the clinical judgment of the pharmacist that intervention by your prescriber is required. No follow-up consultation is required and the service will have been completed

• Depending on the condition, our pharmacists may offer you advice on healthy living / public health topics

Follow-up

The pharmacist will assess your adherence to the medicine(s), identify problems, and determine your need for further information and support.

Our pharmacist will provide advice and further support and will agree on one of the following next steps with you:

• That you are adhering to the regimen. At this point, the service will have been completed

• Problem identified – pharmacist and you both agree on a solution. At this point, the service will have been completed

• Problem identified – referral to the doctor for review. At this point, the service will have been completed

What are the benefits of using the NMS service?

• Help you manage newly prescribed medicines for a long-term condition, supporting you to make shared decisions about your long-term condition
• Increase your adherence to treatment and consequently reduce medicine wastage
• Enable the early identification of issues with newly prescribed medicines (e.g. adverse drug reactions or medicine usage problems) and support you in resolving them or highlight them to your prescriber
• Link the use of newly prescribed medicines to lifestyle changes or other interventions to promote well-being and health
• Increase access to advice, improving medicines adherence and knowledge of potential side-effects
• Through increased adherence to treatment, reduce avoidable medicines-related hospital admissions and improve your quality of life