The NHS New Medicine Service allows community pharmacists to provide structured support to patients and carers about their medication for a range of conditions and promote lifestyle changes or other non-pharmacological interventions to enhance well-being.

The NHS New Medicine Service is available to people, newly prescribed medicines for eligible conditions, with appropriate consent and will involve carers and parents/guardians where that consent cannot be given by the patient themselves, for example, younger children and for people who are unable to give consent but may benefit from the service.

The service is provided either in-person in the pharmacy’s private consultation area or over the phone, and takes place over 3 conversations, usually during the first several weeks after the medicine is started.

At these appointments, people can discuss concerns or issues about their medication with the community pharmacist, who can help them with any problems linked to their medicine. If needed, the community pharmacist can refer the person back to their prescriber.

The NHS New Medicine Service is based on research which 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.

Compared to normal practice for long-term conditions, the service has demonstrated increased patient medicine adherence which translates into increased health gain at reduced overall cost.

Person-centred care, provision of healthy living advice and signposting

Pharmacy contractors and staff providing the service are reminded that the service is intended to support patients in a person-centred manner.

This service complements and informs the shared decision-making process about taking a new medicine.

Pharmacists are reminded that the service should be used to identify instances where continuing with pharmacological therapy is not tolerated, desired, and/or clinically appropriate and refer patients back to the prescriber.

This includes cases where, in their professional judgement, a change to the prescribed therapy may be required including discontinuation.

Pharmacy staff should also, where appropriate, offer opportunistic advice to patients receiving the service on healthy living/public health topics in line with the promotion of healthy lifestyles essential service and signpost them as appropriate to any further support and/or resources available locally or nationally; for example, patient support groups or social prescribing link workers. 

October 2025 update – expansion of the NHS New Medicine Service to include depression

From Wednesday 29 October 2025, the NHS New Medicine Service has been expanded to include medicines for depression.

This means that people aged 18 years and over who are newly prescribed the most common antidepressants will be able to seek additional advice and support from their local pharmacist about their medication, healthy lifestyle changes, and help to understand their treatment options.

Patient groups eligible for the service

Through the NHS New Medicine Service, community pharmacists can provide additional support to people newly prescribed medicines for the following eligible conditions:

• acute coronary syndromes
• asthma
• atrial fibrillation
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• coronary heart disease
• depression (only those ≥18 years of age)
• diabetes (Type 2)
• epilepsy
• glaucoma
• gout
• heart failure
• hypercholesterolaemia
• hypertension
• long term risks of venous thromboembolism/embolism
• osteoporosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• stroke/transient ischemic attack
• urinary incontinence/retention

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 NHS New Medicines Service self-assessment form. The form can be downloaded from the Community Pharmacy England website..

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

Further information

• Advanced Service Specification – NHS New Medicine Service (NMS) – full service specification which includes service objectives, requirements for service provision, training, data and information management, and payment arrangements.
• NMS Eligible Drug List – list of all medicines which, when prescribed for an eligible and corresponding condition, are included in and eligible for this service.
• Dispensing contractors’ data – data published by NHS Business Services Authority relating to this service.