On 26 November 2025, DHSC released a set of new resources, leaflets and posters, designed to help manage ongoing issues around medicine shortages in the UK.
The materials include:
A patient leaflet, intended to be handed out by pharmacists or GPs when patients are unable to receive their usual medicine because of a national supply issue.
The leaflet explains why shortages happen and points patients to where they can get advice and support.
A poster for pharmacists and GP practices, providing guidance on what to do when facing a shortage, including where to find the latest national advice on supply issues. These posters are meant to be displayed in staff-only areas at community pharmacies, GP surgeries and other primary-care sites.
Importantly, the leaflet is supplementary: it is meant to support, not replace, conversations between patients and healthcare professionals when medicines are unavailable.
Why is this needed — the context behind shortages
Medicine shortages have become a persistent problem across the UK. While most supply issues are managed by the system, a significant minority of medicines remain difficult to obtain, sometimes for prolonged periods.
The reasons for shortages are complex and multifactorial: supply-chain disruptions, manufacturing delays, increased demand, regulatory complications and economic pressures all play a part.
The impact on patients and healthcare services can be serious: lack of access to essential medicines, delays in treatment, stress and uncertainty for patients, and additional workload for pharmacists and prescribers.
Against this backdrop, where shortages are increasingly common and disruptive, improved communication and transparency have become more important than ever.
What the leaflets and posters aim to achieve
The newly published materials by DHSC serve several key purposes:
Transparency and explanation, helping patients understand why their usual medicine might not be available, and reassuring them that shortages are often national issues, not local failures.
Guidance for healthcare professionals — giving pharmacists, GPs and pharmacy staff clear steps to follow when supply disruptions occur, and pointing them to up-to-date, official sources for management advice.
Support for patient-professional communication, encouraging open dialogue about shortages, alternatives, and possible next steps (e.g. alternative medicines, revised prescriptions, or delays).
Standardisation of messaging, ensuring that across the NHS and community pharmacies, patients and professionals receive consistent, clear information about supply problems.
In short: the resources help reduce confusion, anxiety and misinformation for patients — and ease the burden on busy pharmacy and GP teams struggling to manage shortages.
How this fits into wider government and NHS strategy
The release of leaflets and posters is part of a broader effort by DHSC and NHS England to manage and mitigate medicine supply issues.
Recent government guidance outlines long-term plans to increase resilience in the UK’s medicines supply chain — through earlier detection of supply risks, improved collaboration across manufacturers, suppliers, regulators and the NHS, and stronger international partnerships.
The new leaflets and posters signal a commitment not only to technical supply-chain fixes, but also to transparency and better communication with patients and frontline healthcare workers. That human element – of keeping people informed and supported when the system fails to deliver — matters.
What this means for patients and how you can act
If you’re a patient in the UK and your pharmacy tells you a prescribed medicine is unavailable:
Ask if they have given you the official leaflet. It may explain why the medicine is missing and point you to sources of information or support.
Talk to your pharmacist or GP about possible alternatives or next step, the leaflet doesn’t replace that conversation.
Remember that your shortage may reflect a national supply issue, not a problem with your pharmacy.
If you’re a pharmacist or work in primary care:
Display the poster in a staff-only area so colleagues know what to do when shortages occur.
Use the guidance to stay up-to-date with national supply-status updates and to support patients proactively.
Why this announcement is significant
By publishing patient-facing and professional-facing materials, DHSC is recognising that medicine shortages are not just a logistical or supply-chain problem, they have real human impacts.
Good communication is essential in times of uncertainty. These leaflets and posters are a small but meaningful step toward transparency, patient reassurance, and supporting the NHS workforce coping with rising pressure.
For anyone affected, patients, carers or clinicians, this move may offer a bit more clarity and support when prescriptions go unfilled.
Useful Downloads
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/medicines-shortages-leaflets-and-posters
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