The new medicine service (NMS) has been granted a third extension until the end of March, PSNC has announced.

PSNC was "pleased" about extension of the service, which will enable contractors to claim for any patients recruited up to March 31, it said in a statement released today (December 16).

But PSNC stressed that it was "continuing to raise concerns" over the uncertainty of the service, which it blamed for a fall in the number of NMS interventions. There was a 13 per cent drop in payment claims between July and August following doubts over the future of the service, PSNC figures revealed.

This extension is particularly important as NHS England considers the future development of community pharmacy services, said PSNC head of NHS services Alastair Buxton	More on the future of the NMS Further extension for NMS as wait for evaluation results continues Government grants NMS six-month stay of execution Further evaluation delay leaves PSNC fighting for       NMS extension
	"We are working in a resource-starved health service but the fact that the NHS shares our concerns and does not want to stop this service, which has shown such promising outcomes so far, is very positive," said PSNC head of NHS services Alastair Buxton.

The negotiating body urged contractors to continue providing the service to all eligible patients despite the uncertainty. "It is important that we show the NHS that we are committed to providing medicines optimisation services and to helping patients to get the most benefit out of their medicines," stressed Alastair Buxton, head of NHS services at PSNC.

"This message is particularly important as NHS England considers the future development of community pharmacy services," Mr Buxton added.

This is the third temporary extension of the NMS. The government originally put up £20 million to extend the service in March and, in September, it was extended for another three months.

The Department of Health will wait for the results of the NMS evaluation, expected to be published in February, before making a final decision on the service's future. The evaluation was originally due in summer, but academics struggled to find enough patients to complete the work by that date. Their initial findings have suggested patients value the service.