MDS Guidance for Paid Carers

Contractors are often put in a difficult position with regard to MDS compliance aids. In brief, if the pharmacist assesses the patient, the patient is responsible for managing their own medicines, and the pharmacist feels that a blister pack or dosette box is the best option then there is an obligation to supply under the equalities act 2010. There is an allowance for this in the SAF, and if it is appropriate for the patient following a pharmacist assessment then the contractor cannot refuse.

If a hospital, community nurse, practice nurse, GP or other health professional requests MDS it is still up to the pharmacist to assess the patient’s needs. Again, if the pharmacist feels that a blister pack or dosette box is the best option then there is an obligation to supply under the equalities act 2010. There is an allowance for this in the SAF, and if it is appropriate for the patient following a pharmacist assessment then the contractor cannot refuse.

Often a situation arises where care agencies support patients by administering or prompting medicines, and request MDS. Under these circumstances there is no obligation for the pharmacy to dispense into MDS, and there are risks associated in doing so unless there is a commissioned service with robust governance arrangements in place. Unfortunately, the carer that requests or collects the medications is seldom the person within the agency that makes the decision.

We have developed a template letter that you may want to use in these cases, explaining that there is no funding for provision of MDS to support domiciliary care services. Please feel free to copy this into your own letterhead as needed.