Declaration of Competence
for pharmacy services
Discharge Medicines Service
This Declaration of Competence (DoC) applies to the community pharmacy
Discharge Medicines Service, which is an essential service within the NHS
Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. This DoC is to be completed by all
pharmacists and pharmacy technicians involved in providing the service.
The Declaration of Competence system
A separate document entitled A guide to using the Declaration of Competence (DoC) system is
published on the CPPE website. It contains more information about the DoC system, how to use it
and how to complete the DoC statement. If you are new to DoC or would like a reminder of this
information, visit the CPPE website.
Keeping up to date
To provide the Discharge Medicines Service you should complete the following Declaration of
Competence framework every two years.
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 1 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
Section A – Declaration of Competence framework
Core competencies
1. Do you meet or are you actively1 working towards the Consultation Skills for Pharmacy
Practice: Practice Standards for England, as determined by Health Education England?
Yes, because I have:
*Completed the CPPE Consultation skills for pharmacy practice: taking a patient-centred approach- distance learning
* Completed the CPPE Consultation skills: what a good practice look like - distance learning
* Completed the CPPE Consultation with children and youg people - e-learning
* Passed the CPPE Consultation skills for pharmacy practice online assessment
2. Do you meet the competencies expected of all healthcare professionals with regard to
safeguarding children and vulnerable adults?
Yes, because I have:
* Completed the CPPE Safeguarding children and adults at risk: a guide for the pharmacy team e-learning
* Watched the Health Education Spotting the signs of child sexual exploitation video
* Passed the Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults e-assessment
1 If
you confirm that you are ‘actively working towards’ the standards, you are declaring that you are
undertaking the relevant learning and CPD to meet the standards. It is expected that you will have accessed
the standards and associated learning to meet this requirement and that you will complete the assessment
within 12 months of signing the Declaration of Competence statement.
As a pharmacy professional you should continuously seek to develop your consultation skills throughout your
career and, therefore, this topic should regularly feature in your CPD plan. To access the assessment, go to
the CPPE website. If you have not yet completed the assessment, you should be able to provide evidence of
the consultation skills learning you have undertaken.
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 2 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
Service-specific competencies: Are you/Do you?
Statements should be supported by appropriate evidence whenever possible. If the learning you
have completed applies to more than one competency, you do not need to repeat this information.
You can use this table for your own self-assessment purposes; you only need to submit this part of
the DoC if your commissioner/employer asks for it.
a. Do you understand the NHS policy on, and the evidence base for, the need to improve
transfer of care within NHS services, the importance of this to patients and the NHS,
and how this relates to your role in providing the Discharge Medicines Service?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
b. Do you understand the national principles of medicines optimisation and how they relate
to the Discharge Medicines Service?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
c. Do you understand the process by which referrals will be sent from hospitals to your
pharmacy and how to use any associated IT systems?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
d. Do you understand the three stages of the Discharge Medicines Service undertaken in
the community pharmacy and how to provide each of these?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
e. Are you able to identify when a patient would benefit from a referral to another
professional within the Primary Care Network, for example for a Structured Medication
Review, and do you understand the process by which such a referral can be made?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 3 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
f. Are you able to identify and document discrepancies between the medicines prescribed
pre-admission, at discharge, and the first post-discharge prescription issued in primary
care, making appropriate clinical records to support ongoing care of the patient?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
g. Are you able to confirm whether any changes or omissions have occurred intentionally
or unintentionally and, where unintentional, ensure they are queried with the relevant
clinician, using appropriate communication channels?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
h. Are you able to check the understanding of the patient or their carer of which medicines
they should be using post-discharge, when they should be used and any other relevant
advice to support medicines use, using a person-centred approach?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
i. Are you able to collate the required data to be reported to NHS England and NHS
Improvement on the outcomes of the provision of the service?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
j. Are you able to support the team in the safe and effective provision of the Discharge
Medicines Service?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
* Completed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicine Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
* Passed the CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving outcomes for patients transferring care
(2022) e-assessment
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 4 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
Additional requirements
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians providing the service will need to understand the service
requirements, by reading the NHS England and NHS Improvement guidance documents.
As part of your training, your organisation will have additional support documents, such as standard
operating procedures and/or a training plan; these will also support you in meeting the
competencies within the framework.
Action Competency Date Date review
completed due
Have a working knowledge of the Please add the
relevant training documents in your competencies that your
workplace local training package
meets
Have a working knowledge of the a, d, e, f, g, h, i, j 2022
most recent service documents
relating to provision of the service,
including:
• the NHS England and NHS
Improvement guidance on
the Discharge Medicines
Service regulations; and
• the NHS England and NHS
Improvement Discharge
Medicines Service toolkit
Where appropriate, review, develop c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j 2022
and agree relevant standard
operating procedures (SOPs) and
policies in your practice
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 5 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
Section B – Recommended learning and assessment
Table 1.1 contains details of the learning and assessment available to support you in meeting the
core professional competencies within the self-assessment framework.
Table 1.2 contains details of CPPE learning programmes and assessments you can use to help
develop your skills and knowledge to satisfy the service-specific competencies in the self-
assessment framework.
Table 1.3 provides information on other associated learning.
Information relating to learning acquired from other training providers can be entered in Table 1.4.
1.1 Learning and assessment to meet core competencies
Training/learning Core competencies linked to the DoC
framework
CPPE Consultation skills for pharmacy practice: 1
taking a patient-centred approach distance learning
Consultation skills for pharmacy practice website 1
CPPE Consultation skills: What good practice looks 1
like e-learning
CPPE Consultation skills for pharmacy practice e- 1
assessment
CPPE Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults 2
e-learning
CPPE Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults 2
public health workshop
CPPE Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults 2
e-assessment
Health Education England Spotting the signs of child 2
sexual exploitation
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 6 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
1.2 CPPE programmes, workshops and assessments you could access if required
Training/learning Service-specific competencies linked
to the DoC framework
CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving a, b, d, e, f, g, h, j
outcomes for patients transferring care e-learning
CPPE NHS Discharge Medicines Service: improving a, b, d, e, f, g, h, j
outcomes for patients transferring care e-assessment
1.3 Other associated learning you may wish to access
Training/learning Service-specific competencies linked to
the DoC framework
IT system provider’s guidance on use of the system c, d, f, i
NICE guideline NG5 – Medicines optimisation: the a, b
safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best
possible outcomes
Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Medicines a, b
Optimisation: Helping patients to make
the most of medicines (May 2013).
1.4 Learning and assessment completed from other training providers
You can complete training courses and workshops delivered by other trainers, provided that they
deliver the equivalent knowledge and learning outcomes to meet the competencies in Section A (as
with the CPPE programmes listed). You should list non-CPPE learning and assessments you have
completed in the table below.
Training/learning/competencies/assessment List competencies covered from DoC
(list below) framework
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 7 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
Section C – Tools to support your professional development
The following reference guide includes professional standards and frameworks referred to in A
guide to using the Declaration of Competence (DoC) system. Working through the reflective process
of the DoC system will support you when considering these standards and frameworks to develop
your practice and progress in your career.
1. Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Professional Standards for Public Health Practice
for Pharmacy
The Declaration of Competence aligns to the following standards to support you in developing
your services:
• Standard 3.0 Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare
interventions, programmes and services
• Standard 4.0 Health improvement
• Standard 5.0 Health protection
• Standard 6.0 Health and social service quality (also known as healthcare public health)
• Standard 8.0 Strategic leadership and collaborative working for health
• Standard 9.0 Academic public health
2. Consultation Skills for Pharmacy Practice: Practice Standards for England
3. RPS Foundation Pharmacy Framework
4. RPS Advanced Pharmacy Framework (APF)
5. APTUK Foundation Pharmacy Framework
Reassessment of competence
Pharmacy professionals are responsible for reassessing their competence to provide this service on
an ongoing basis by responding to new guidance, standards and any relevant new learning
programmes and assessment. In addition, we recommend completion of the DoC system at least
once every two years. This should involve revisiting the self-assessment of competencies,
reflecting on each competency and identifying personal learning needs to assure self-declaration
again at this point. Where changes are introduced to the service, pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians will need to update themselves as part of their usual CPD.
Declaration of Competence for pharmacy Page 8 of 8
Discharge Medicines Service Version 1 (January 2021)
