Medicines are the most frequent therapeutic healthcare intervention in the NHS.

The aim is to optimise the use of medicines by promoting cost effective and evidence based clinical practice and effective risk management to ensure that patients get the right choice of medicine at the right time. We work to ensure our population get the most from their medicines, take medicines correctly, avoid taking unnecessary medicines, improve medicines safety, and reduce medicines wastage.

Effective medicines optimisation contributes towards:​

  • Improved health of individuals and the population as a whole​
  • Improved patient care and satisfaction​
  • Reducing medication-related harm​
  • Making best use of available resources​
  • Making better use of professional skills​
  • Delivering high quality, effective, safe healthcare​

Medicines A-Z:​

To find information on a medicine, the condition it treats, useful advice or potential side effects, visit the NHS Medicines A-Z web page on the nhs.uk website.

Latest news

Have your say on the proposed future locations for very specialist cancer services for children living in south London

NHS England (London and South East regions) has launched a public consultation on the proposed future location of very specialist cancer treatment services for children living in south London and much of south east England. The consultation is running for 12 weeks from 26 September to midnight on 18 December 2023 and will help NHS […]

27 Sep 2023
Doctors’ strike, 2 – 4 October

Hospitals will be busier than usual - here's how to get the help you need

27 Sep 2023
Population Health and Equity Webinar Series 2023

Please join us for our upcoming webinar on population health and tobacco dependence Tuesday 3 October, 12pm-1pm BST / 1pm-2pm CEST Register via Eventbrite. King’s Health Partners, DEFACTUM and Human First are bringing together experts from south east London and Central Denmark Region to address challenges and solutions to improving social and health equity in our two health systems. […]

27 Sep 2023
South East London Integrated Care System

Visit ICS Website

Find out more