There is general agreement that MURs and NMS consultations conducted after a patient's discharge from hospital have the potential to greatly benefit patients. Local work is needed to continue to find ways to raise patient awareness and develop information-sharing with community pharmacists.

However pharmacists can develop local post-discharge MURs in collaboration with GPs and hospital colleagues. In light of the continuing climate of austerity and the QIPP agenda for healthcare and the NHS, services such as MURs and NMS postdischarge must be evaluated in terms of reduction of waste through improving adherence and the reduction in medicines errors after discharge. NHS Operating Frameworks detail that significant QIPP agenda gains under quality and productivity are possible by encouraging co-operation at the interface.

This includes health and social as well as primary and secondary care. It even goes as far as suggesting that integration of these services is the key to seamless care. There is recognition that emergency admissions could be reduced or even prevented by implementing integrated services across the interface.

Conclusion

Post-discharge NMS and MUR consultations offer community pharmacy the opportunity to become an integral part of the patient pathway between secondary and primary care. If these advanced, national clinical pharmacy services can be shown to aid adherence, reduce waste and encourage patient participation in their own care, then they will clearly have a promising future.