GP/PCN pharmacy professionals 

Pharmacy professionals working in general practice will also be involved in supporting patients through the NHS Discharge Medicines Service. It is important to remember that the service does not replace the role of the general practice in managing patients’ medicines on discharge, for example reconciling medicines with the patients’ records on the GP clinical system, monitoring and follow up. GP/PCN pharmacy professionals need to work in partnership with community pharmacies to align the DMS with their current processes and minimise duplication. 

• Providing advice for community pharmacy professionals 

Pharmacy professionals working in GP practice or care homes are in a good position to respond to queries and provide information, support and clinical expertise to the community pharmacy team in order to contribute to safe and effective care for the patient after discharge. 

• Raising awareness of the Discharge Medicines Service 

Community pharmacy teams should make sure they know how the service works to ensure relevant staff in the GP practice or care home understand the patient pathway, including the role of general practice/PCN pharmacy teams in providing support. Raise awareness with patients too and reassure them that everyone is working as part of the same system to keep them safe and well.  

• Clinical support and structured medication review 

For some patients, GP/PCN and community pharmacy professionals will need to work together to provide ongoing support following discharge. For example, if patient’s medicine has been stopped in hospital, but is to be restarted again depending on test results. 

In other situations, a patient may benefit from a structured medication review (SMR). SMRs are a structured, holistic and person-centred review of individuals who are at risk of harm or medicines-related problems. They are provided as part of the PCN’s Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES).  

In addition to proactively identifying patients who would benefit from a SMR, PCNs will have systems in place to provide SMRs for patients referred by other professionals.  

GP/PCN pharmacists should liaise with community pharmacists to ensure that patients supported through the Discharge Medicines Service are referred for a SMR appropriately, where necessary. 

• Specialist support 

For patients who need more complex or additional support to reduce their risk of re-admission, clinical pharmacists in GP practice/PCNs and NHS Trusts should collaborate with community pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams.