How MedWatch Tracks Medicine Shortages

Our Data Sources

MedWatch aggregates information from multiple official and industry sources to build a comprehensive picture of medicine availability in the UK:

1. DHSC Medicine Supply Notifications

The Department of Health and Social Care publishes regular updates on medicine supply disruptions. Manufacturers are legally required to notify DHSC of anticipated or actual supply issues. We monitor these notifications daily and parse them for our database.

2. Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs)

When the DHSC issues an SSP, it's an official acknowledgement that a medicine is in short supply. SSPs are published on the NHSBSA website and we track all active protocols, including their terms (what alternatives are permitted).

3. MHRA Alerts

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency publishes drug alerts, recalls, and company-led recalls that can affect availability. We monitor these for supply-relevant information.

4. Manufacturer Communications

Pharmaceutical companies sometimes issue Dear Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs) about supply disruptions. We track these through multiple channels.

5. Pharmacy Reports

We receive reports from pharmacists and patients about medicines they're unable to source. While anecdotal, these reports help us identify emerging shortages before they appear in official data.

How We Process the Data

Automated Collection

Our systems check official data sources multiple times daily. New notifications are automatically parsed and categorised by medicine, severity, and expected duration. This automation ensures we catch updates quickly — often within hours of publication.

Human Verification

Every shortage report is reviewed by our team before publication. We verify the source, cross-reference with other data points, and assess the likely patient impact. We don't publish unverified claims.

Severity Assessment

We categorise shortages by severity based on:

• Patient impact: How many people are affected? Are alternatives available?
• Clinical risk: Is the medicine critical (e.g., insulin, epilepsy drugs) or is therapeutic switching straightforward?
• Expected duration: Is this a days-long blip or a months-long shortage?
• Geographic scope: Is it nationwide or limited to certain regions?

Alert Distribution

When a shortage is confirmed, we send alerts to registered users who take the affected medicine. Alerts include:

• Which medicine is affected and which formulations/strengths
• What alternative options exist
• Recommended actions
• Expected resolution timeline (when available)
• Links to relevant guides and advice

What We Don't Do

To maintain trust and accuracy, there are things we deliberately avoid:

• We don't speculate: We only report confirmed or officially anticipated shortages
• We don't provide medical advice: We point patients toward their pharmacist and GP for clinical decisions
• We don't sell medication: We're an information service, not a pharmacy
• We don't accept pharmaceutical advertising: Our reporting is independent of industry influence

Accuracy and Corrections

Medicine supply is dynamic — situations change rapidly. We update our data as new information becomes available and clearly mark when pages were last updated. If we make an error, we correct it promptly and transparently.

If you believe any information on MedWatch is inaccurate, please contact us.

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