DHSC publishes medicines-shortage leaflets and posters

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 

MHRA and NICE invite early adopters to trial accelerated aligned pathway – six months ahead of schedule

Pharmaceutical companies who make qualifying medicines can now take advantage of a streamlined approvals pathway for medicines much earlier than anticipated.

Aligned pathway will streamline decisions on licensing and value for medicines, helping patients benefit from them sooner.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are now offering some pharmaceutical companies early access to the aligned pathway six months earlier than projected, as user research begins to shape the next phase of the programme. 

The pathway is now accepting applications from manufacturers who make medicines which have been designated by the NICE and the MHRA for early access.

The aligned pathway delivers on government ambitions in the Regulatory Action Plan, 10-Year Health Plan for England and the Life Sciences Sector Plan by streamlining regulation, accelerating access to medicines for patients and the NHS, and improving the UK’s global competitiveness in life sciences.

The pathway brings together the MHRA’s licensing process and NICE’s value assessment process, meaning decisions will be published at the same time, instead of consecutively. This will reduce the 90-day gap between marketing authorisation and NICE guidance decisions, meaning faster patient access, support for the NHS and a more efficient route for industry.

A new fully integrated joint scientific advice service, launching by April 2026, will provide a single-entry point for coordinated advice from the MHRA and NICE to help avoid delays and support alignment. The service is designed to help companies successfully adhere to aligned pathway timelines, providing enhanced clarity and confidence in investment decisions by providing evidence requirements early and avoiding unnecessary delays.

Pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to register products on UK PharmaScan at least three years before marketing authorisation and to engage early with both organisations.

NICE and the MHRA will continue to work more closely to improve efficiency, transparency and timely access to innovative treatments.

Any companies with a technology appraisal already scheduled who believe their product may be suitable for the aligned pathway should contact the NICE scheduling team – scheduling@nice.org.uk.