The Contract aims to provide in-patients with medicines immediately following discharge in Monitored Dosage Systems (MDS) for those identified as admitted into hospital using MDS or assessed as being unable to self administer their medication by other means whilst an in-patient.

Some of the Contract's aims are as follows:

— Ensure timely delivery of medicines to the hospital.

— Ensure communication of the discharge letter requirements for patients between the patient, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (Trust), the successful Pharmacy (Provider), the General Practitioner (GP) and the patient's previous community pharmacy.

— Implement holistic medicines reconciliation by providing better information to patients, GPs and community pharmacies about changes to medicines at discharge.

— Achieve collaborative working to ensure that both requests for newly initiated MDS at discharge are appropriate and that ongoing provision of MDS for all patients is appropriate.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (Trust) serves around 450 000 people living in Dudley and the surrounding area. It has one in-patient hospital (Russells Hall Hospital) located near the centre of Dudley which has a maximum capacity of 750 beds. The goods and services required under this contract will only be provided at Russells Hall Hospital. The number of multi-compartment compliance aids also known as monitored dosage systems, that will be provided to identified in-patients immediately following their discharge from the Trust is estimated to be 1 800 per annum.