New Medicine Service

Published: 5th June, 2019 in: News Services

Understand your new medicines with our new medicine service

What is the new medicine service?

The New Medicine Service is a free NHS service, offered through your pharmacy (chemist), to help you understand your condition and get the most out of your new medicine.

Who is it for?

The service is for people who have received their first prescription for a medicine to treat any of the following conditions:

asthma
lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema
type 2 diabetes
high blood pressure
conditions where you take a medicine to control the way your blood clots.

How will it help me?

30%-50% of prescribed medicines are not taken as recommended.

This means that a lot of medicines are wasted or are not as effective as they could be.

The service will:

help you to find out more about the new medicine you are taking
help to sort out any problems you are having with your new medicine.
give you a chance to ask questions about your medicine and discuss any concerns
help to improve the effectiveness of your new medicine, there may be an easier or better way to take it
help you to make your own decisions about managing your condition
help you to improve your health, which could lead to fewer GP and hospital visits.

The New Medicine Service will help provide better value for you and the NHS by making sure that your medicines are right for you.

How does the service work?

When you are given your new medicine you will be asked if you want to sign up to the service. If you agree, you will need to sign a consent form to allow your pharmacist to share your information with other parts of the NHS.

Step 1

Your pharmacist will give you information about your new medicine.

Step 2

You will be invited to a confidential meeting to be conducted either in person or over the phone with your pharmacist at a convenient time 7 - 14 days after you first receive your medicine. Your pharmacist will ask you how you are getting on, find out if you are having any problems and give you any information and support you need. You may have concerns or questions that you want to ask. You can ask anything at all about your new medicine.

Step 3

Your pharmacist will arrange a follow-up discussion 14 - 21 days after step 2. You will be able to talk about how things are going and ask for more advice if you need it.

How can you prepare for your discussions with the pharmacist?

Read the leaflet that comes with your new medicine.
Make a note of questions you want to ask.
Make a note of any concerns about your new medicine to discuss with your pharmacist.
Bring your new medicine to the meeting with your pharmacist.

What happens after the two discussions?

Everything may be okay with your new medicine and nothing else will need to happen.

If you have had problems with the medicine, you may agree with your pharmacist to change the way you take it.

Your pharmacist may recommend that your doctor reviews your new medicine. If this is needed your pharmacist will send a note to your doctor explaining the issues raised. You can have a copy of this note.

Why do I need to sign a consent form?

In order to receive this service, you will be asked to give your consent for your pharmacist to share information from your New Medicine Service discussions with:

your GP, if necessary (for example if they need to change your medicine because you are having a problem with it)
your primary care trust (PCT - the local NHS authority), to make sure that the service is being provided properly by your pharmacist
your PCT, the NHS Business Services Authority and the Secretary of State for Health, to make sure your pharmacy is being paid the correct amount by the NHS for the service they have provided you.

If you do not give your consent you will not be able to use the service. However, when you first receive your medicines your pharmacist will still give you advice about them.