The NMS has been shown to increase the length and quality of patients’ lives, as well as saving NHS costs and resources. Charlotte Rixon reports

An independent evaluation of the new medicine service (NMS) at the University of Nottingham has found that patients who receive an NMS consultation after being prescribed a new medicine are more likely to take the medicine as directed than those who are dispensed their medicines without additional support from a pharmacist. Commissioned by the Department of Health, the evaluation showed that seven out of 10 patients recruited onto the NMS were adherent to their medicines 10 weeks later, or had been referred back to their prescriber, compared with six in 10 patients who had received a normal dispensing service.

A real difference

While a seemingly modest difference, an economic analysis concluded that NMS consultations produced longand short-term NHS savings and ultimately led to better patient outcomes and improved health and lifespans. Furthermore, the researchers suspect that the true impact on patients and the NHS may be even greater. The appraisal uncovered pharmacy characteristics that appeared to boost the effectiveness of interventions, including a strong focus on services, a close-knit pharmacy team and a clear ‘can do’ attitude, as well as highlighting barriers, such as lack of staff or IT resources.

Welcoming the findings, Gary Warner, chair of PSNC’s Service Development Subcommittee, said: “This evaluation proves what individual community pharmacies have been telling us for a long time – that the new medicine service can make a real and positive difference for people being prescribed new medicines, and that it represents good value for the NHS.”

Key recommendations

The report made several recommendations for improving the service, including strengthening relationships between pharmacists and GPs, further pharmacist training, providing pharmacists with access to medical records and expanding the range of medicines covered. Responding to the report, Dr David Branford, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) English Board, confirmed the RPS’ commitment to expanding the service and supporting pharmacies to deliver it. “I believe community pharmacists can do even more for patients, and the RPS is working on a number of fronts to allow this to happen,” he said.

Over 90 per cent of community pharmacies in England now provide the NMS, which was launched in 2011.