the new medicine service (nms) is a free nhs service that provides support for people with long-term conditions newly prescribed a medicine to help improve medicines adherence; it is initially focused on particular patient groups and conditions.
the aim of this service is to improve patient adherence to treatment and subsequently reduce medicine wastage. also, to reduce hospital admissions from adverse drug reaction by identifying them in the early stages of the treatment. during your consultations with the pharmacist, you will also be advised on lifestyle intervention that will help with the management of your conditions.
when you are started on a new medicine for antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy, asthma/copd, hypertension or diabetes, you might be eligible for the nms service. a member of our team will offer you this service and ask for your written consent to participate in the service. one of our pharmacists will provide you with some general information about your new medication and the service during the initial consultation and will arrange with you a phone or face-to-face follow-up consultation in 2 weeks time. during your follow-up consultation, the pharmacists will ask you about how you got on with your medication, explore any issues you might have encountered, and provide relevant advice and support. the pharmacist will arrange a final meeting in 1-2 weeks time to ensure that you have a good understanding of your new treatment and that you aren't having any adverse effects.
next time when you start a new medicine, speak to a member of our team to check if you are eligible for this service.