Before you begin, have you completed:

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

Steps to take

In order for the NHS Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) to deliver the expected outcomes for patients and the NHS, community pharmacy teams must take certain steps in line with the requirements of Section 8.4 of the NHS DMS regulations guidance.

• Pharmacy contractors must be satisfied that all staff involved in providing the service are competent to do so. This includes reading the NHS Discharge Medicines Service regulations, guidance and toolkit. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must demonstrate their competence by completing the NHS Discharge Medicines Service Declaration of Competence
• Pharmacy contractors must ensure that conversations with the patient and/or carer undertaken as part of this service are conducted in a manner that protects the privacy of the patient. Pharmacy contractors must ensure compliance with premises requirements in respect of consultation rooms in order to ensure confidentiality
• Pharmacy contractors must have a standard operating procedure (SOP) in place for the service. All members of the pharmacy team involved in providing the service should ensure they are familiar with it and adhere to the SOP.