Discharge Medicine Service

When to use the Discharge Medicine Service

The Discharge Medicine Service (DMS) supports you after a hospital stay where your medicines have changed. It is particularly valuable if you:

• Are an older adult taking several medications
• Had significant changes to your medicines in hospital
• Have been started on a high-risk medicine such as a blood thinner, insulin or an immunosuppressant
• Live alone with no support at home to manage medicines
• Have a long-term condition with adjusted treatment
• Are a carer responsible for someone else's medication

The service is proactive: your pharmacist contacts you after a hospital referral, so you do not need to request it. If you have recently left hospital and are worried about your medication, you can still contact us for advice.

What is the Discharge Medicine Service?

DMS is an NHS-funded service under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. When you are discharged, the hospital pharmacy team refers you to your community pharmacy for follow-up on medicines that were started, stopped or changed during your stay. It is free of charge.

The weeks after leaving hospital are a high-risk time for medication problems. Around 1 in 5 patients experience a medication-related problem within a few weeks of discharge, including:

• Not knowing which medicines to continue, stop or start
• Confusion when hospital medicines have different names or appearances
• Delays getting new prescriptions from the GP
• Accidentally taking both old and new medicines, causing double-dosing
• Unmanaged side effects from new medicines

How the service works

• Hospital referral - your medication details and discharge summary are sent to your nominated pharmacy
• Pharmacy contact - your pharmacist gets in touch, usually within a few days of discharge
• Medication review - going through every medicine, what changed, what each one is for and how to take it
• Prescription check - making sure your GP has the new plan and your repeats match it
• Ongoing support - your pharmacist stays available for questions in the following weeks

The review can take place in the pharmacy, over the phone or at home, depending on your circumstances and mobility. Your pharmacist will also check you received everything on your discharge summary, confirm anything that should have stopped is no longer being taken, and check for interactions.

Managing your medicines after hospital

• Keep a written list of your current medicines, doses and timings
• Use a pill organiser or dosette box, especially with multiple medicines
• Set phone reminders or use a medication reminder app
• Never stop or change a medicine without speaking to your pharmacist or GP, even if you feel better
• Store medicines safely, away from children and as directed on the packaging
• Return old or discontinued medicines to the pharmacy for safe disposal

If you are struggling at home, ask about blister-packed medication or delivery services at your local branch.

Find the Discharge Medicine Service near you

Free through the NHS, with GPhC-registered pharmacists experienced in medication reviews, private consultation rooms and close working relationships with local hospitals and GP surgeries. Use the postcode search above to find your nearest Allied Pharmacy, or ask the hospital to refer you before you leave.