If you're prescribed a medicine for the first time, depending on the health condition being treated you may be able to get help and advice about your medicine from a local pharmacist. This is done through a free scheme called the NHS New Medicine Service (NMS).

As part of the scheme, the pharmacist will support you over several weeks to use the medicine safely and correctly. They can also give you advice about healthy lifestyle changes.

Who can use the service

You can use the New Medicine Service if you live in England and have been prescribed a new medicine for any of these conditions:

asthma
atrial fibrillation
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
coronary heart disease
depression (if you're aged 18 or over)
diabetes (type 2)
epilepsy
glaucoma
gout
heart conditions such as unstable angina or heart attack
heart failure
high blood pressure (hypertension)
high cholesterol (hypercholesterolaemia)
long-term risk of blood clots or blocked blood vessels, including DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
osteoporosis
Parkinson's disease
stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
urinary incontinence or retention

How the service works

When you pick up your new prescription at a pharmacy, ask the pharmacist if you can take part in the New Medicine Service.

You’ll have 3 appointments with the pharmacist over several weeks. The appointments can take place over the phone or in the pharmacy's private consultation area.

At these appointments, you can discuss concerns or issues about your medicine with the pharmacist, and they can help you with any problems linked to your medicine. If needed, the pharmacist can refer you back to your GP surgery.