This guide has been developed jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England to detail the national, regional and local management and escalation processes and communication routes for medicines supply issues in England.

It is for NHS teams and professionals who have responsibility for reporting a medicine supply issue, as well as those who need to act when a shortage arises and share information with those patients impacted by the disruptions in supply.

It covers all national processes for managing medicines shortages and discontinuations in the NHS in England and replaces A Guide to Managing Medicines Supply and Shortages which was published in 2019.