New Medicine Service (NMS) at Our Pharmacy in Harlesden and Wembley
Free NHS support to help you settle into a new medicine safely, with no cost and no referral needed.
Walking out of the surgery with a new prescription is often the easy part. Knowing whether it’s agreeing with you three weeks later is another matter entirely. That’s where the New Medicine Service comes in. It’s a free NHS check-in with one of our pharmacists, built specifically for people who’ve just started a new medicine for a long term condition, and it’s available at both our Harlesden and Wembley branches without needing a referral from your GP.
What is the New Medicine Service, and who can use it?
NMS is an NHS Advanced Service, which means it sits alongside our everyday dispensing as a formally funded part of what community pharmacies are set up to provide. It isn’t a new idea, it’s been running since 2011, but it has been widened over the years, most recently in October 2025, when adults newly prescribed common antidepressants became eligible for support alongside the conditions already covered.
In practice, that means NMS now typically covers people who’ve just been started on medicines for:
– Asthma or COPD
– Type 2 diabetes
– High blood pressure
– Antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy, sometimes known as blood thinners
If you’re an adult and your new medicine falls into one of these groups, you’re eligible. The service is completely free. It’s worth mentioning it at the counter even if nobody’s flagged it to you, since not every patient is automatically told about it.
What happens during an NMS consultation?
There are usually two short appointments, and neither takes very long. The first, called the Intervention, happens roughly 7 to 14 days after you collect your new medicine. Our pharmacist will ask how you’re getting on: whether you’ve actually started taking it, whether anything feels off, and whether you’ve got questions about timing, food, or side effects that never came up during your GP appointment. Think of it as a conversation rather than a checklist. It’s your chance to ask the questions you didn’t think of when you first collected your prescription.
If it would help, a Follow-up is arranged for around 14 to 21 days after that, to see whether things have settled or whether anything still needs sorting, such as a dose review with your GP or a switch to a different brand if side effects haven’t eased.
Neither appointment needs booking in the traditional sense. Just mention it to the team when you collect your prescription, and we’ll find a slot that works, either in person or over the phone if that’s easier for you.
The New Medicine Service is available to eligible patients in Hillside, Harrow Road and nearby areas, including Ealing, Acton, Notting Hill, Harlesden, Harrow, Wembley, Neasden and Cricklewood.
Why bother, if you’re feeling fine?
Feeling “fine” doesn’t always mean your new medicine is working as it should. It’s common to have questions or notice small changes when you first start treatment. Often, a little reassurance or a simple adjustment is all that’s needed. NMS gives you the chance to talk things through early. It can help spot missed doses, confusion about when to take your medicine or mild side effects before they become bigger problems or lead to another appointment with your GP.
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