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The Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison has welcomed the addition of depression to the New Medicine Service (NMS) from Wednesday but warned the Government to properly fund pharmacies to ensure the service remains “viable”.

The inclusion of depression as a therapeutic area in the NMS will allow pharmacists to support patients to adhere to a newly prescribed medication and is seen by many in community pharmacy as further evidence that Labour recognises the sector has a central role to play in medicines management.

According to the NHS Business Services Authority, about 89 million antidepressant drug items were prescribed in 2023-24, a 3.3 per cent increase on 2022-23.

Harrison (pictured) said the expansion of the NMS to include depression “is testament to the growing role community pharmacy plays in improving outcomes and helping patients to manage their long-term conditions”.

“It will also help to take pressure off other parts of the NHS,” he said. “Over 90 million antidepressant items are already prescribed to an estimated 8.9m patients in England each year. The New Medicines Service is likely to see a considerable increase in demand due to this change.”

He said a significant rise in patient demand meant it was “critical that continued investment in community pharmacy follows to ensure the service remains viable”.

Harrison also said the expansion of the NHS pharmacy contraception service to include emergency contraception was “a big step forward”.

“Patients will now be able access both routine and emergency contraception, free of charge, from their local pharmacy,” he said

“Patients will no longer experience a postcode lottery when accessing NHS emergency contraception. This is a big step forward in making sexual healthcare more accessible, timely, and convenient, removing the need for patients to have to visit different providers for their different needs.”