Community Pharmacy Support – Training & Resources
The NHS Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) aims to ensure seamless and safe transitions of care regarding medication when a patient is discharged from a hospital.
Before diving into the necessary study and training, it is recommended that community pharmacists take a few minutes to watch this video Introduction to DMS from Community Pharmacy England which gives a helpful 360-degree perspective of the service model.
The DMS Toolkit for community and hospital pharmacists details the three-stage of the DMS process which bridges communications between hospitals, community pharmacies.
Stage 1: Clinical Review of Discharge Referral
- Community pharmacy receives a discharge referral.
- Pharmacist conducts a clinical review of medicines.
- Clarification may be sought from the hospital or PCN pharmacy team if issues (e.g. omitted medicines) are identified.
Stage 2: Reconciliation with Post-Discharge Prescription
- Upon receiving the first post-discharge prescription, the pharmacy ensures it reflects appropriate changes made during hospital stay.
- Discrepancies are addressed with the GP or PCN pharmacy team.
- May result in referral for a Structured Medication Review.
Stage 3: Patient Engagement & Support
- Pharmacist or technician speaks with the patient (or carer) to check their understanding of the new medicine’s regimen.
- Issues like adherence, clinical concerns, or unanswered questions are identified and addressed using a shared decision-making approach.
Electronic Referrals
Central to the service is the electronic referral from the hospital which is securely sent to the patient’s nominated pharmacy.
Most pharmacies use the PharmOutcomes platform to both receive and to process each stage of the DMS Service, although alternative platforms are becoming available.
PharmOutcomes has produced a training video which very usefully guides pharmacy users through this electronic administration process for the Discharge Medicines Service.
Click on the logo to start the training video.
Professional Training for Pharmacists
PLEASE NOTE: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must complete the Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) Declaration of Competence (DoC) before providing the Discharge Medicines Service (DMS).
Access the DoC via the CPPE website. This DoC is to be completed by all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians involved in providing the service.
Additionally, it is recommended that you also complete the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service eLearning and assessment.
Contracting Details
The resources below will enable contractors to provide the service:
Community pharmacy contractors should ensure that they have read the guidance (chapter 8) and the DMS toolkit.
B0366-discharge-medicines-service-toolkit-for-pharmacy-staff
DMS-briefing-for-pharmacy-teams-V1
DMS-briefing-for-GPs-and-PCNs-v1
DMS-implementation-checklist-22.12.20
The Regulations and related resources from NHS England are available on the NHSE&I website.
The contractual terms for provision of the service are detailed in the e.Drug Tariff . Follow the link an navigate to paragraph 7. Service claims must be logged onto the contractors Manage Your Service (MYS) portal by the 5th of the month, details also in the above paragraph 7.