Anyone know what the NHS New Medicine Service is?

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

I think GPs and pharmacists can be a team who provide support to us all. We're fortunate in having excellent GPs at our surgery who during Covid offered telephone consultations, which I found helpful and saved time. They saw us if necessary. My husband asked advice from a pharmacist and was told he needed to see his GP, who referred him to the hospital. When he was put on a new blood thinner a few years ago the pharmacist asked him about any side effects he was experiencing for a few months so he could pass on the information. I have to say I have experienced less positive service from GPs in the past and I'm glad I made the change.

It's also important to report any side effect you may experience with specific medications (including any Covid vaccination side effects) as this helps the government work out if any drugs need further investigation in relation to it's side effects.

It's called the yellow card scheme - anyone can report any side effects of any medication they have taken.

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

There are a number of trained pharmacists that are connected to specific NHS wards in hospitals - this is because where medication is concerned they are the specialists. GP's can't be expected to know everything. Many GP's also have a pharmacist that is employed by them specifically to advise people on their medication which saves the GP's time for other issues they deal with.

I've recently had 4 appointments with my GP purely because my medication had adverse side effects. Ironically I couldn't get an appointment with the pharmacist attached to the surgery as they were too busy!

It can also be helpful to join an online pharmacy as they charge the NHS less money for medication than the routine street pharmacies do. (and you get it delivered through your door - Covid risk free!)

Maybe "New Medicine Service" just meant it was the first time your prescription had been dealt with by that particular pharmacy.

janeainsworth

Yes they do Suzie and I think they are required to have a private room if they’re giving vaccinations or consultations, but what can happen is that when you ask for an over the counter medicine, you’re sometimes cross-examined about your medical history in front of all the queueing customers, or asked what you want the medication for, which sometimes you don’t want to disclose to a room full of strangers.

That’s very poor practice and I can see that a person could be taken aback and not have the immediate presence of mind to deal with it.

Yes they do Suzie and I think they are required to have a private room if they’re giving vaccinations or consultations, but what can happen is that when you ask for an over the counter medicine, you’re sometimes cross-examined about your medical history in front of all the queueing customers, or asked what you want the medication for, which sometimes you don’t want to disclose to a room full of strangers.

KaEllen

My problem with pharmacies is that there is no privacy.

All the pharmacies in my town have private consultation rooms - have you ever asked to speak privately?

My problem with pharmacies is that there is no privacy.

Trueing = training doh

Daffy thanks for the input of your perspective.
keeping I think your post really underestimates pharmacists. They have a long professional trueing and are a registered profession, strictly regulated. This scheme, if I understand it , deals with certain medicines prescribed by GPs. If a pharmacist does not dispense what a GP prescribes, then complain. As others have said, it’s not unknown for pharmacists to pick up on prescribing errors and they have also identified GPs illicitly self prescribing controlled drugs.

If your GP has an in house pharmacy sadly the surgery will lose money if people use some of these schemes like Pilltime for example, not entirely sure if this is the same sort of thing?

In Portugal the doctor misdiagnosed oral thrush in our toddler. The pharmacist was able to prescribe the correct treatment.

The doctors always claim they are so busy that it makes sense to utilise the pharmacists’ training when appropriate.

I work in community pharmacy and think I can answer your question. The NMS is not the GP leading the buck over to the pharmacy. The reason we have NMS is to give the patient the opportunity to ask questions about the medication (NOT the illness) and for the pharmacist to make sure they understand the dosage, if they're having problems taking the medication or if they're having any side effects.

The pharmacy are looking at the pharmaceutical side of things, not necessarily the condition (if necessary, they will always refer back to the GP).

Hope this helps.

Pammie1

@ keeping quiet. I’ve not long started medication for rheumatoid arthritis and after an initial consultation and follow up with the consultant, I was passed on to deal the with the department pharmacist, who keeps in regular contact to monitor things. I see the consultant twice a year, but in the meantime I’m mainly in the hands of the pharmacist and the nurses. These people are the specialists so it doesn’t surprise me that a GP would defer to them

I suppose what bothers me is the pharmacies are privately run and risk promoting their own products over what may be most effective.
This happened when I requested a specialist item I should have had on prescription only to find I got something very different. I finished buying said piece of equipment myself.
If pharmacies know best how come they don't just prescribe the medicines themselves?
I can see that happening very soon.
Doctors are trained in diagnosis and looking beneath what patients could be saying. Pharmacists aren't.
People need to take more responsibility for their own health too.

My local pharmacy is a GOD SEND to me. Instead of trying to access the medical centre (which is good too but busy) my pharmacist will do consults with daughter who has a severe learning disability IN THE CAR! how happy does this make me = very

Why don’t you ask your surgery, jacalpad?

@ keeping quiet. I’ve not long started medication for rheumatoid arthritis and after an initial consultation and follow up with the consultant, I was passed on to deal the with the department pharmacist, who keeps in regular contact to monitor things. I see the consultant twice a year, but in the meantime I’m mainly in the hands of the pharmacist and the nurses. These people are the specialists so it doesn’t surprise me that a GP would defer to them

My mother, a nurse for many years, told me "Be nice to the pharmacist, they are the ones that stop the doctors killing you" The degree of training the job required to become a pharmacist, and subsequent on going training means they are highly qualified and up to date with their field.

I worry that pharmacists are being asked to widen their role so much that standards will be difficult to maintain. The time taken to properly speak to patients who have been advised by their GP to seek help from the pharmacist, is (or should be) considerable. Meanwhile prescription dispensing must continue.

I would also ensure that it is actually a "trained" pharmacist who you speak to. Assistants have a fair amount of knowledge but have not gone through years of degree level training as pharmacists do.

Most GPs would freely admit that pharmacists are much more up to date with medicines than they are - it is their speciality, just as a physio is better able to diagnose some muscular complaints, or an optician more knowledgeable about eye conditions.

Sorry, distortion and mobility!

Maddyone , sometimes GPS just seem to invite criticism. My surgery is still only operating telephone consultations unless in extreme circumstances. My last one the receptionist said number would come up as withheld as Dr working from home.It was a problem with distoyand mobility in my foot, something I believed should have been ‘ seen’ but GP disagreed. I can visit a dentist, hairdresser and beautician all at closer quarters than a Dr so cannot understand why they can’t get their act together ?

I’m not sure how I would have got through my recent illnesses without the pharmacist. The GPs had barricaded themselves into the building and only money making treatment was available, and that was with the nurse.

It used to be quite a good caring surgery but now employs a finance manager along with the practice manager and it’s a nightmare! We are told by email that, having undergone a few weeks training, the receptionists are now qualified to make decisions instead of seeing a doctor.

The receptionist who mistakes a ruptured appendix for a gastric bug will be thrown to the wolves. It actually happened to a friend who followed the doctors instructions then they denied it and she was given a warning.

We signed with Echo to have repeat prescriptions delivered and found it works well. Prescriptions still go through your GP for authorisation & you get reminders when you’re running low. You can still go to your local pharmacy for advice if needed.

GPs are, as the name suggests, general and so are not specialists in medication. Pharmacists are.
I have worked in a pharmacy and many times the pharmacist has picked up on the GP prescribing something that shouldn't be taken with other medication the patient was already on. GPs are overworked. More and more pharmacists can also prescribe basic medicines like practise nurses.
I see it as the same as being referred to a hospital specialist for a particular ailment.