Our Mission
MediWatch UK exists to ensure no NHS patient is caught off guard by medicine shortages. Checking any medicine's availability is free, and so are personalised shortage alerts on the medicines you track — so you know about supply issues before you arrive at the pharmacy.
🏥 Trusted Data Sources
All our shortage information comes directly from official UK government sources:
- DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care) — Medicine Supply Notifications
- NHSBSA (NHS Business Services Authority) — Serious Shortage Protocols
- MHRA — drug alerts
What We Do
We monitor official DHSC, NHSBSA and MHRA publications daily, tracking every medicine shortage notification, supply disruption, and resolution. Our system processes this data and makes it accessible to patients, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals across the UK.
- 212+ medicines tracked across all therapeutic categories
- 50+ UK cities with localised shortage information
- Daily updates from official government data
- Personalised email alerts when your tracked medications are affected (Plus plan)
Why We Built This
Medicine shortages affect millions of NHS patients every year. Often, patients only discover their medication is unavailable when they arrive at the pharmacy — causing stress, missed doses, and wasted trips. MediWatch UK bridges this information gap.
Our Methodology
We aggregate data from official DHSC Medicine Supply Notifications, NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols and MHRA alerts. Each shortage is categorised by medicine type, severity, expected resolution date, and recommended alternatives. Our data is updated daily and cross-referenced against multiple official sources to ensure accuracy.
Contact
Have questions or feedback? Visit our contact page or email us at hello@mediwatch.co.uk.
How We Check Our Content
MediWatch does not attribute its pages to a named clinical reviewer. Every page is checked against official UK medicine supply sources — Community Pharmacy England (CPE), Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs), DHSC medicine supply notifications and MHRA guidance — before publication, and each source is linked so you can read it yourself. This review does not replace advice from your own pharmacist or GP, who know your medical history and can advise on your specific situation.
MediWatch is not a clinical service and does not employ pharmacists. What we do is track the official record accurately and quickly, and show you exactly where every statement on a page comes from.
What we check
- Medicine names, dosages, and formulations are accurate and current
- Alternative medication suggestions align with BNF guidance and NHS SPS recommendations
- Patient advice is safe, appropriate, and does not constitute medical advice
- Shortage severity assessments reflect actual clinical impact on patients
- Links to official sources are accurate and up to date
Every source we check against is published and public, so you can read the same DHSC, NHSBSA, CPE and MHRA notices we do — our data sources page lists all of them. Read our full editorial policy.
Editorial Standards
We hold ourselves to high editorial standards because patients rely on our information for health decisions:
- Source-only: Every shortage on MediWatch is confirmed by an official government or NHS publication — we do not publish rumours or unverified reports
- Daily checks: Our system checks DHSC and NHSBSA publications daily. Pages are updated within 24 hours of a new official notification
- Corrections: If we publish an error, we correct it within 24 hours of notification. See our corrections process
- Independence: MediWatch does not accept payments from pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy chains, or healthcare providers in exchange for editorial coverage
Read the full editorial policy.
Independence
MediWatch UK is an independent service. We are not affiliated with, funded by, or formally connected to the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, or any pharmaceutical company.
We believe patients deserve free, accurate, and unbiased information about medicine shortages — regardless of which manufacturer or wholesaler is affected. Our only interest is helping patients stay informed.
Our data sources page lists every official government publication we use.