This is a guide for patients and their carers to receive Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) from their community pharmacy, after discharge from hospital. You may have seen a poster/leaflet on this.
What is DMS?
DMS is an essential service all community pharmacies must provide to patients who would benefit from extra support related to their medicines.
The NHS Trusts across South West London (SWL) are able to refer patients to their usual/regular community pharmacy on discharge from hospital.
This service can help to:
- Ensure you are taking the right type and dose of medicines.
- Make sure you use your medications safely once discharged from hospital.
- Improve the transfer of information about your medicines from hospital to your community pharmacy.
- Improve your understanding of medicines.
- Help with taking your medicines.
- Provide ongoing support and information around your medicines.
Who is referred?
Patients who may benefit from the service include those with:
- Changes to medicines
- New medicines
- Taking multiple medications.
- Need for help at home to take your medications.
This list is not exhaustive and the choice to refer you for the service will depend on the Trust’s decision and local needs.
The referring ward’s pharmacy team will assess if you benefit from a conversation around your medications with the community pharmacy.
Referral Process
Once we have obtained your consent, the pharmacy team will then record your chosen community pharmacy and start the DMS process:
- You will be electronically referred to your community pharmacy securely after discharge from hospital.
- Using information in the referral, community pharmacists will compare your medicines at discharge to those you were taking before admission to hospital.
- When a new prescription is issued by your GP, the community pharmacist will check you are prescribed all the correct medications you should be taking after hospital discharge.
- A consultation with your community pharmacist, yourself and/or your carer will be arranged to ensure you understand what medicines you should now be taking.
Depending on the quantities of your medicines, please wait to hear from your chosen community pharmacy after being discharged from hospital.
If you need some advice about your medicines before you see the community pharmacist, please contact:
The hospital pharmacy via switchboard or the Hospital Medicines Information Helpline. If out of hours, please call the referring ward via switchboard.
Further information
Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
If you have a compliment, complaint or concern please contact our PALS team on:
- 0800 026 6082
- [email protected]
Document History
Version: V 1.1
Approval date: October 2023