Yellow Card Scheme UK
Published: 6th August 2026
The Yellow Card Scheme in the UK is a system for collecting and monitoring information about suspected adverse drug reactions and safety concerns related to medicines and medical devices.
It allows anyone to report issues with medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and e-cigarettes. Established as the world's first spontaneous reporting scheme, it plays a crucial role in post-marketing drug safety surveillance in the UK, having collected over 1 million reports since its inception. For more information, you can visit the official Yellow Card website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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The Yellow Card Scheme is the UK system for collecting and monitoring information about suspected adverse drug reactions and other safety concerns relating to medicines and medical devices. It supports post-marketing safety surveillance, helping to identify issues that may not have been apparent during clinical trials.
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Reports can cover medicines, vaccines, medical devices and e-cigarettes. Anyone can submit one, including healthcare professionals, patients, carers and members of the public. You don't need to be certain that a medicine or device caused the problem, as suspicion alone is enough to warrant a report.
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The scheme was the world's first spontaneous reporting system of its kind and has collected over a million reports since it began. Every report contributes to the wider safety picture, and patterns identified through the scheme can lead to changes in how medicines and devices are used or licensed. Further information is available on the official Yellow Card website at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.
Our colleagues at the GPhC Inspectorate have asked us to pass on a friendly reminder as to the procedures required for Community Pharmacies to appropriately deal with Private Prescriptions for Controlled Drugs.