Scots urged to show Yellow Card to meds side effects
People in Scotland are being encouraged to take part in a national scheme tracking the side effects from taking prescribed medication.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland has made the plea after finding 57% of people surveyed across the country have experienced adverse effects from medicines.
The report, based on survey findings of more than 560 people across Scotland, found 84% of those who had experienced unintended effects from medicines had spoken to a healthcare professional, but only 10% reported it themselves to the national Yellow Card scheme.
It recommends raising awareness of the Yellow Card scheme – run by medicines regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – to improve under-reporting of medicines’ side effects and help new safety issues be identified as early as possible.
The report also recommends NHS Scotland improve the way it uses data from the Yellow Card Scheme to take action to improve medicines safety.
Source: Health and Care Scotland, 8 August 2025