Research has shown that pharmacists can successfully intervene when a medicine is newly prescribed, with repeated follow up in the short term, to increase effective medicine taking for the treatment of a long-term condition.

The New Medicine Service demonstrates increased patient medicine adherence compared with normal practice, which translates into increased health gain at reduced overall cost.

The service is available to all patients, prescribed eligible new medicines, with appropriate consent and will involve carers and parents/guardians where that consent cannot be given by the patient themselves, e.g. younger children and for people who are unable to give consent but may benefit from the service.

The full-service specification is available here: Advanced Service Specification – NHS New Medicine Service (NMS)

Patient Groups eligible for the service

Through the New Medicine Service, community pharmacists provide support to patients and carers, helping them manage newly prescribed medicines for a long-term condition, and supporting patients to make shared decisions about their care. This service also provides an opportunity to promote lifestyle changes or other non-pharmacological interventions to enhance well-being in people with long term conditions.

The conditions eligible for the service are:

• asthma and COPD
• diabetes (Type 2)
• hypertension
• hypercholesterolaemia
• osteoporosis
• gout
• glaucoma
• epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• urinary incontinence/retention
• heart failure
• acute coronary syndromes
• atrial fibrillation
• long term risks of venous thromboembolism/embolism
• stroke/transient ischemic attack
• coronary heart disease

Support for pharmacists providing the NHS New Medicines Service

Pharmacists that will provide the service must have the necessary knowledge and skills to do so, with them assessing and declaring their competence by completing the NMS self-assessment form. The form can be downloaded from psnc.org.uk/nms.

Resources to support identified learning needs and knowledge on NMS and the eligible conditions are available via the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE).