UK Shortage Index
A single, continuously-updated, source-linked picture of the UK medicines supply — free to read, quote and link. Every figure below traces to an official notification or Serious Shortage Protocol. Sources last checked 20 Oct 2026; last source change 19 Oct 2026.
References whose stated expected-back dates have all passed without a recorded update: 220 of 352 current references — a fact about the record, not about supply (the sources do not publish resolution). Expected-back tracker →
New Medicine Supply Notifications and safety alerts recorded each month, across the archive window.
The protocols the NHS has managed for the greatest span. “Running for” counts elapsed time only — scheduled end-dates are shown separately, because they slip.
| Protocol | Running for | Status | Valid from | Scheduled until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSP005 | 3.1 years | expired | 12 Mar 2020 | 31 Mar 2023 |
| SSP061 | 2.5 years | in force | 24 May 2024 | 08 Jan 2027 |
| SSP060 | 2.4 years | expired | 24 May 2024 | 02 Oct 2026 |
| SSP079 | 1.9 years | in force | 19 Dec 2024 | 08 Jan 2027 |
| SSP081 | 1.9 years | in force | 19 Dec 2024 | 08 Jan 2027 |
Severity tiers are stated on Medicine Supply Notifications — 326 of the 371 tracked records carry one, and 20 notifications state none. The remainder (safety alerts and protocol updates) carry no tier by design.
| Tier | Meaning | Tracked notices |
|---|---|---|
| — | Tier not stated | 20 |
| Tier 2 | Medium impact | 297 |
| Tier 3 | High impact | 29 |
A dated, permalinked record of each month's activity. An entry that came from an NHSBSA register check made after its month ended is marked on that month's page with the date of the check.
Free to quote and link. Please cite as: “UK Shortage Index, ShortageSignal (shortagesignal.co.uk), by Doctor Data Ltd, accessed 20 Oct 2026.” Every figure links to its source document, and the full method is on the methodology page. Journalists and researchers: see the press kit, or pull the numbers via the open API. Data updates twice daily.