Discharge Medicines Service (DMS)
The Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) became a new Essential Service within the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) on 15 February 2021.
This service, which all pharmacy owners have to provide, was originally trialled in the 5-year CPCF agreement, with a formal announcement regarding the service made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in February 2020.
From 15 February 2021, NHS Trusts were able to refer patients who would benefit from extra guidance around prescribed medicines for provision of the DMS at their community pharmacy. The service has been identified by NHS England’s Medicines Safety Improvement Programme to be a significant contributor to the safety of patients at transitions of care, by reducing readmissions to hospital.
Latest update from 1 July 2025
The new process, which has been agreed following feedback about the previous lengthy process from Community Pharmacy England, should be used to claim for any activity for DMS that has been completed since 1 July 2025.
Contractors need to ensure relevant staff, including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, who will be involved in providing the service, have the necessary knowledge and competence to undertake DMS safely. As a minimum, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who will provide the service should:
- Read the section on DMS within the NHS England guidance on the regulations; and
- Read the DMS toolkit.
- It is recommended that they also complete the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service eLearning and assessment
Once a pharmacist or pharmacy technician has undertaken appropriate learning related to the service, they must complete the DMS Declaration of Competence.
Full information (and frequently asked questions) can be found on the Community Pharmacy England website.
For pharmacies that use PharmOutcomes, please see below a short training video intended for community pharmacy teams who will be receiving and managing DMS referrals.
