Why medicine reviews matter: Reducing risks and improving health outcomes for older adults
Polypharmacy – taking multiple medications – is often essential for managing chronic health conditions. But without regular medicine reviews, patients may continue taking prescriptions that are no longer needed, effective, or safe for their changing needs.
The ‘Are your medicines working for you?’ campaign aimed to encourage more open, proactive conversations between patients and healthcare professionals. It focused on helping people reflect on whether their long-term medications were still right for them, and to take action by booking a free NHS medicine review.
Date
September 2024 - February 2025
Client
North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB)
Scope of work
- Behavioural Insights
- Creative Development
- Creative messaging and copywriting
- Digital Strategy
- Evaluation and framework creation
- Media Targeting
Why are medicine reviews so important for older adults?
Many older adults take multiple medications (polypharmacy) to manage long-term conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis. But over time, their health needs change, and so their prescriptions may also need to. Polypharmacy sometimes leads to unnecessary medicines and avoidable medicine waste.
Magpie created “Are your medicines working for you?“ to spark open, judgement-free conversations between patients and healthcare professionals. The campaign encouraged people aged 55+ to reflect on how their medicines made them feel. It encouraged them to book a free NHS medicine review if something didn’t feel right.
Campaign Goals:
- Educate patients about the purpose and value of medicine reviews.
- Increase self-reflection about how medications affect daily life.
- Remove perceived barriers such as: “It’s wasting the GP’s time”, “I’ve been on these tablets for years – why change them?”
- Boost booking rates for medicine reviews in high-prescribing areas.
Strategy: How we delivered a high-impact behaviour change campaign
Behavioural Insights
We built the campaign around real barriers and beliefs from our target audience:
- Many didn’t know they could request a review.
- Others assumed that if a doctor hadn’t suggested it, it wasn’t needed.
- Some feared being seen as a nuisance.
Message & creative development
We asked a simple but powerful question: “How are your medicines making you feel?”
This line became the campaign’s emotional and strategic anchor. It encouraged reflection without blame and opened the door to conversation. We tested two message variations across platforms to determine which had the highest engagement.
Stop-motion animation
We produced a stop-motion explainer video to gently guide viewers through why a medicine review matters. This format stood out in social media feeds and made a complex topic easier to understand.
Campaign toolkit for practices
To support grassroots adoption, we developed print and digital assets for GP surgeries and pharmacies:
- Posters
- Pharmacy bag inserts
- Web banners and site copy
Digital-first media strategy
We took a targeted digital approach, focusing on:
- 20 high-prescribing locations across North East & North Cumbria
- People aged 55+
- Channels: Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Google Display, YouTube, Search, and Performance Max
Phased rollout for lasting behaviour change
Phase 1: Awareness & reflection
We used video and display ads to introduce the idea of medicine reviews and spark curiosity.
Phase 2: Action-oriented retargeting
We then re-engaged those who had interacted with the campaign, with stronger CTAs (call-to-actions) like “Book your medicine review today.”
Google Search strategy
To capture high-intent users – people who were actively searching for help or information about their medicines – we ran paid search ads on queries like:
-
“Side effects of my medication”
-
“What is a medicine review?”
-
“Should I stop taking my tablets?”
This approach helped us reach those most ready to take action, ensuring they received relevant answers at the moment of need.
What did the campaign achieve?
2.6 million
impressions across Meta and Google
29,849
website clicks to campaign landing page
85%
of surveyed participants said the campaign improved their understanding of medicine reviews.
15%
increase in patients saying they would now book a review.
High relevance scores
across platforms and above-average CTRs
Patient Reflections
“I didn’t know I could book a medicine review. I’ve been on medication for 20 years, and I’m not sure they’re doing anything for me.” “It’s been on my mind recently, on all the tablets I’m on, but didn’t know you could make an app[ointment] for this.” “[The campaign] hits home a little as I’ve been taking the same meds for a long time and missed my last review.”
Client Testimonial
“Medicine reviews are a very dry subject, but Magpie pulled another one out of the bag with ‘How are your medicines making you feel?’ Looking at alternative methods to engage the population of North East and North Cumbria, through video and real patient stories, we yet again had a successful campaign.”
Want to run a similar campaign?
Are you a healthcare commissioner, NHS Trust or Integrated Care Board looking to:
- Improve medicine adherence?
- Reduce unnecessary prescribing?
- Deliver a behaviour change campaign with measurable impact?
We can help.
Contact us to find out how we can support your goals.See more projects:
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