NHS policy and professional guidance 

There are several key pieces of policy and guidance that contribute or have contributed to improving communication around transfer of care: 

• Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers: getting the medicines right

This report was produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 2012. It discusses core principles and guidance to underpin the safe transfer of information about medicines whenever a patient switches care providers, at any point in the care pathway. 

• NICE guideline (NG5) Medicines optimisation: the safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best possible outcomes  

This guidance, published in 2015, includes the following recommendations: 

• Relevant information about medicines should be shared when patients move from one care setting to another 
• Healthcare practitioners should: ‘Consider sending a person's medicines discharge information to their nominated community pharmacy, when possible and in agreement with the person’ 
• Carry out medicines reconciliation for all people who have been discharged from hospital or other care settings, back into primary care. ‘This should happen as soon as is practically possible, before a prescription or new supply of medicines is issued and within one week of the GP practice receiving the information.’ 

• WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without harm  

This 2017 document identifies medication safety at transfers of care as one of three priority areas requiring action to protect patients from harm. The WHO also published a technical report in 2019 entitled ‘Medication safety in transitions of care’, to support action to improve transfer of care systems. 

• Report of the short life working group on reducing medication-related harm 

This report from 2018 makes recommendations for a programme of work to tackle medication error and improve medicines safety. The report led to NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) establishing a national medicines safety programme to take forward the recommendations from this report. 

• Medicines safety improvement programme  

This programme launched in 2019 is part of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. It includes projects to deliver improved electronic prescribing systems that will contribute to safer transfer of care. 

• Transfers of Care Around Medicines (TCAM) 

Since 2018, the Academic Health Science Networks have been working with NHS Trusts to put communication systems in place with the patient’s community pharmacy to support safe discharge. 

Practice points 

Find out if TCAM is running in any hospital/secondary care trusts in your local area. Note that schemes may have different names in different areas.  

• How does it work locally?  
• What systems are used and what are the criteria for referral? 

Your LPC may have more information.  

Once you've completed this module, move onto:

• NHS Discharge Medicines Service: part two
• Discharge Medicines Service: part three
• Discharge Medicines Service: part four
• Discharge Medicines Service: part five