Essential Services

Essential Services

Discharge Medicines Service DMS)

The service seeks to ensure better communication of changes made to a patient’s medicines in hospital and its aims are to:

Optimise the use of medicines, whilst facilitating shared decision making;
Reduce harm from medicines at transfers of care;
Improve patients’ understanding of their medicines and how to take them following discharge from hospital;
Reduce hospital readmissions; and
Support the development of effective team-working across hospital, community and primary care networks pharmacy teams and general practice teams and provide clarity about respective roles.

This form is to support your pharmacy to deliver the process and recording and claiming of DMS.

DMS is an Essential Service in the NHS Pharmacy Contract and MUST be completed.
At all times ensure you follow your SOP and/or Company process
Monitor PharmOutcomes and NHS Mail for referrals.
Ensure all 3 Stages of DMS are completed to comply with your terms of Service.
Stage 1 – MUST be completed within 72 Hours (excluding hours of days when pharmacy closed) of Receipt of referral.
Stage 2 – Remember to monitor for the First Prescription post discharge.
Stage 3 – Have the conversation with the patient and/or their carer.
IMPORTANT – Transfer completed DMS to MYS to claim for payment.