Medicines are the most common health intervention in the world today and the NHS spends a growing share of its budget on buying them.
It is vital to the sustainability of the health service that medicines are managed responsibly and equitably.
We aim to optimise the use of medicines by promoting cost-effective and evidence-based clinical practice and effective risk management to make sure patients get the right medicine at the right time.
We make sure patients get the most from their medicines - take them correctly, avoid taking unnecessary medicines, improve safety, and reduce wastage.
NHS Kent and Medway has a Medicines Optimisation Team who advise on the prescribing and safe supply of medicines. The team works closely with GP practices, hospitals, community pharmacies, other local health providers and voluntary sector organisations across Kent and Medway.
NHS Kent and Medway has developed a governance system for medicines optimisation that supports the ICB medicines optimisation strategy. This structure makes sure there is accountability for medicines optimisation.
The primary aim of the Integrated Medicines Optimisation Committee (IMOC) is to provide oversight to deliver a shared medicines optimisation vision for improving population health, preventing ill health, reducing health inequalities, and promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing across Kent and Medway.
The committee meets every other month. The minutes from each meeting will be uploaded here once they have been approved as a true recording of the meeting. We aim to upload them within two weeks of the meeting once approved.
A single, system-wide formulary for Kent and Medway is now live.
The Kent and Medway Joint Medicines Formulary replaces the individual health and care partnership formularies previously in use across the region. It brings together prescribing information from across the NHS in Kent and Medway into one central, accessible platform.
Access the formulary: www.kentandmedwayformulary.nhs.uk
The formulary is primarily designed for healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and other prescribers, to support safe, consistent and evidence-based prescribing across Kent and Medway.
However, because it is a publicly available resource, patients, carers and members of the public are welcome to access the site to better understand which medicines are recommended for use in our local NHS services.
If you have questions about your medicines or treatment, please speak with your GP, community pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. You can also contact NHS 111 for advice.
The site remains under active development. We are continuing to refine the content, review clinical guidance, and update chapters where needed.
We welcome feedback. If you have a query, comment, or notice anything you'd like to flag, please contact us via: kmicb.formularyenquiries@nhs.net.
Please note: This inbox is monitored by the NHS Kent and Medway team supporting the formulary development. Clinical advice about individual treatments cannot be provided through this route.
In 2022/23, NHS Kent and Medway spent more than £18million on medications for self-limiting, short-term illnesses and minor conditions that could potentially be bought over the counter (OTC).
NHS Kent and Medway is committed to delivering the best value to patients by making sure we use our resources well. Therefore, to help support implementation and deliver cost effective, evidence-based use of medicines, NHS Kent and Medway does not support the prescribing of items available OTC for self-care.
This is in line with the NHS England guidelines for conditions for which over-the-counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care. More details are available in this Over The Counter Medication Position Statement.
Download useful fact sheets about self-care for common conditions.