The New Medicine Service

The New Medicine Service (NMS) in England will include depression and antidepressants for people aged 18 and over from 29 October 2025. Consultations undertaken as part of this service must only be carried out by pharmacists, but pharmacy technicians can provide valuable support for the service – for instance, by booking appointments and talking to people who have questions or concerns about their medication.

The NMS is split into three stages:

• Patient engagement and consent: at the time of first supply of the medicine
• Intervention: seven to 14 days after patient engagement
• Follow-up: 14-21 days after intervention. At this point, the person will have been taking the antidepressant for up to five weeks, which is a good point for the pharmacist to be able to assess whether it is working or if dose adjustment is needed.