NHS New Medicine Service
About one in three people stop their new prescription within ten days because of side effects, confusion or forgetting. The NHS New Medicine Service (NMS) catches these problems early through two free appointments at your pharmacy in Urmston.
Anyone newly prescribed a medicine for asthma or COPD, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or as an oral anticoagulant or antiplatelet (such as warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, dabigatran, clopidogrel or prasugrel). The service is free for everyone on the NHS.
When you collect your first prescription we book a fifteen-minute call or in-person appointment two to three weeks later. We ask how you are getting on, whether you have noticed side effects and whether the dose timing is convenient. A second follow-up at six to eight weeks closes the loop.
Patients who complete NMS are significantly more likely to still be taking their medicine correctly six months later. This is especially important for blood pressure and anticoagulant medicines where stopping silently raises the risk of stroke.
Free for anyone registered with an NHS GP in England newly prescribed a qualifying medicine within the last fourteen days. We register you at the point we hand over the first prescription.
Around fifteen minutes. We can do it in the private room or over the phone if that is easier.
Not directly. If we spot a problem we write to your GP with a suggestion and explain what to do in the meantime.
Yes, with your permission. We often see family members of older patients who help with day-to-day medicine management.
Or call 0161 748 3016