Pharmacist-Led Care
One-to-one medicines review after hospital
Safe & Confidential
Your medical history stays protected
Free NHS Service
No cost when referred by your hospital

Discharge Medicines Service

Leaving hospital often comes with new medicines, changed doses, or ones you’ve been told to stop, and it’s easy for details to get lost in the handover. Our Discharge Medicines Service picks up where the hospital leaves off, making sure what’s in your cabinet at home actually matches what you’re meant to be taking. Reach out if you’ve recently been discharged and aren’t sure what’s changed.

What Changes After a Hospital Stay

Medicines are commonly adjusted during a hospital admission, doses get increased or reduced, some are stopped altogether, and new ones are often added. Without a clear check afterward, it’s surprisingly common for people to keep taking an old medicine alongside a new one that was meant to replace it.

How You End Up With Us

This service runs on referral, your hospital sends your discharge information to a community pharmacy, usually the one you’re registered with or nominated for prescriptions, so we can follow up shortly after you’re home.

What a Discharge Review Involves

We’ll go through your discharge letter alongside what you’re actually taking at home, flag any mismatches, and answer questions about new medicines, side effects to watch for, or why something was stopped. It’s a chance to get clarity on changes that might not have been fully explained at a busy discharge.

Why This Step Gets Skipped So Often

Discharge from hospital can be rushed, and information doesn’t always make it clearly from ward to patient to community pharmacy. This service exists specifically to close that gap, catching errors before they cause a problem rather than after.

What to Have Ready

Bring your discharge letter or summary if you have it, along with all the medicines you currently have at home, including anything you were taking before you went in. This makes the review faster and more accurate.

If You Think You’ve Been Referred

If you’ve recently left hospital and haven’t heard from us but expect to have been referred, contact us and we’ll check, or you can book a review directly if you’d rather not wait.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Discharge Medicines Service?
It’s an NHS service where a community pharmacist reviews your medicines shortly after you leave hospital, checking that what you’re taking at home matches what was intended at discharge and resolving any discrepancies.
How am I referred to the Discharge Medicines Service?
Your hospital refers you directly, usually sending your discharge details to your nominated or usual community pharmacy. You don’t need to arrange the referral yourself.
Is the Discharge Medicines Service free?
Yes, there’s no charge for this service when you’ve been referred by a hospital. If you have questions about your referral, get in touch and we’ll talk it through.
What happens during a discharge medicines review?
We compare your discharge letter with what you’re actually taking, check for any medicines that should have stopped or started, and answer any questions about changes to your treatment.
Why did my hospital refer me to a pharmacy after discharge?
It’s a routine safety step for many patients, not a sign that something’s gone wrong. Medicines commonly change during a hospital stay, and this review helps make sure that transition goes smoothly once you’re home.