Standards for medicines management

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We are the nursing and midwifery regulator for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Islands. • We exist to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. • We set the standards of education, training and conduct that nurses and midwives need to deliver high quality healthcare consistently throughout their careers. • We ensure that nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold the standards of their professional code. • We ensure that midwives are safe to practise by setting rules for their practice and supervision. • We have fair processes to investigate allegations made against nurses and midwives who may not have followed the code.

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Standards for medicines management

Introduction
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UK regulator for two professions: nursing and midwifery. The primary purpose of the NMC is protection of the public. It does this through maintaining a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses eligible to practise within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct. One of the most important ways of serving the public interest is through providing advice and guidance to registrants on professional issues. The purpose of this booklet is to set standards for safe practice in the management and administration of medicines by registered nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses. Standards for medicine management replace the Guidelines for the administration of medicines 2004, although many of its principles remain relevant today, for example: “The administration of medicines is an important aspect of the professional practice of persons whose names are on the Council’s register. It is not solely a mechanistic task to be performed in strict compliance with the written prescription of a medical practitioner (can now also be an independent and supplementary prescriber). It requires thought and the exercise of professional judgement...” Many government and other agencies are involved in medicines management from manufacture, licensing, prescribing and dispensing, to administration. As the administration of a medicinal product is only part of the process, these standards reflect the process from prescribing through to dispensing, storage, administration and disposal. There exists an extensive range of guidance on medicines management from a range of relevant bodies. Sources of information are listed on pages 90– 95. One of the best sources of advice locally is the pharmacist.
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As with all NMC standards, this booklet provides the minimum standard by which practice should be conducted and will provide the benchmark by which practice is measured. Due to the complexity, speed and extent of change in contemporary health care, it is not intended to cover every single situation that you may encounter during your career. Instead, it sets out a series of standards that will enable you to think through issues and apply your professional expertise and judgement in the best interests of your patients. It will also be necessary to develop and refer to additional local and national policies and protocols to suit local needs.

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Standards for medicines management

Definitions
Medicinal products
“Any substance or combination of substances presented for treating or preventing disease in human beings or in animals. Any substance or combination of substances which may be administered to human beings or animals with a view to making a medical diagnosis or to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions in human beings or animals is likewise considered a medicinal product.” Council Directive 65/65/EEC.

Medicines management
“The clinical, cost-effective and safe use of medicines to ensure patients get the maximum benefit from the medicines they need, while at the same time minimising potential harm.” (MHRA 2004).

Blood and blood products
Blood is not classified as a medicinal product although some blood components are. Products derived from the plasma component of blood such as blood clotting factors, antibodies and albumin are licensed and classified as considered to be medicinal products. For the purpose of the administration of medicinal products registrants would be expected to apply the standards for medicines management to all medicinal products but should consider additional guidance by the National Patient Safety Agency – guidance launched on 9 November 2006; Right patient, Right blood (available at www.npsa.nhs.uk). A key requirement of this guidance is that all staff involved in blood transfusion undergo formal competency assessment on a three-yearly basis.

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Use of the word ‘patient’ throughout the document
Throughout this document where the word ‘patient’ is used this refers to whoever the medication may be administered to, for example, patient, client, user or woman (midwifery).

Use of the word ‘registrant’ throughout the document
Throughout this document where the word ‘registrant’ is used this refers to nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses who are registered on the NMC register.

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Standards for medicines management

Summary of standards
This section provides a summary of the standards for easy reference. For further detail you should read, follow and adhere to the standards as detailed later in the document. It is essential that you read the full guidance, and you must follow the advice.

Section 1
Methods of supplying and/or administration of medicines Standard 1: Methods Registrants must only supply and administer medicinal products in accordance with one or more of the following processes: • Patient specific direction (PSD) • Patient medicines administration chart (may be called medicines administration record MAR) • Patient group direction (PGD) • Medicines Act exemption • Standing order • Homely remedy protocol • Prescription forms Standard 2: Checking Registrants must check any direction to administer a medicinal product. Standard 3: Transcribing As a registrant you may transcribe medication from one ‘direction to supply or administer’ to another form of ‘direction to supply or administer’.

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Section 2
Dispensing Standard 4: Prescription medicines Registrants may in exceptional circumstances label from stock and supply a clinically appropriate medicine to a patient, against a written prescription (not PGD), for self-administration or administration by another professional, and to advise on its safe and effective use. Standard 5: Patients’ own medicines Registrants may use patients’ own medicines in accordance with the guidance in this booklet Standards for medicines management.

Section 3
Storage and transportation Standard 6: Storage Registrants must ensure all medicinal products are stored in accordance with the patient information leaflet, summary of product characteristics document found in dispensed UK-licensed medication, and in accordance with any instruction on the label. Standard 7: Transportation Registrants may transport medication to patients including controlled drugs, where patients, their carers or representatives are unable to collect them, provided the registrant is conveying the medication to a patient for whom the medicinal product has been prescribed, (for example, from a pharmacy to the patient’s home).

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Standards for medicines management

Section 4
Standards for practice of administration of medicines Standard 8: Administration As a registrant, in exercising your professional accountability in the best interests of your patients: • you must be certain of the identity of the patient to whom the medicine is to be administered • you must check that the patient is not allergic to the medicine before administering it • you must know the therapeutic uses of the medicine to be administered, its normal dosage, side effects, precautions and contra-indications • you must be aware of the patient’s plan of care (care plan or pathway) • you must check that the prescription or the label on medicine dispensed is clearly written and unambiguous • you must check the expiry date (where it exists) of the medicine to be administered • you must have considered the dosage, weight where appropriate, method of administration, route and timing • you must administer or withhold in the context of the patient’s condition, (for example, Digoxin not usually to be given if pulse below 60) and co-existing therapies, for example, physiotherapy • you must contact the prescriber or another authorised prescriber without delay where contra-indications to the prescribed medicine are discovered, where the patient develops a reaction to the medicine, or where assessment of the patient indicates that the medicine is no longer suitable (see Standard 25).

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• You must make a clear, accurate and immediate record of all medicine administered, intentionally withheld or refused by the patient, ensuring the signature is clear and legible. It is also your responsibility to ensure that a record is made when delegating the task of administering medicine. In addition: • Where medication is not given, the reason for not doing so must be recorded. • You may administer with a single signature any prescription only medicine (POM), general sales list (GSL) or pharmacy (P) medication. In respect of controlled drugs: • These should be administered in line with relevant legislation and local standard operating procedures. • It is recommended that for the administration of controlled drugs a secondary signatory is required within secondary care and similar healthcare settings. • In a patient’s home, where a registrant is administering a controlled drug that has already been prescribed and dispensed to that patient, obtaining a secondary signatory should be based on local risk assessment. • Although normally the second signatory should be another registered health care professional (for example doctor, pharmacist, dentist) or student nurse or midwife, in the interest of patient care, where this is not possible, a second suitable person who has been assessed as competent may sign. It is good practice that the second signatory witnesses the whole administration process. For guidance, go to www.dh.gov.uk and search for safer management of controlled drugs: guidance on standard operating procedures.

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Standards for medicines management

• In cases of direct patient administration of oral medication from stock in a substance misuse clinic, it must be a registered nurse who administers, signed by a second signatory (assessed as competent), who is then supervised by the registrant as the patient receives and consumes the medication. • You must clearly countersign the signature of the student when supervising a student in the administration of medicines. Standard 9: Assessment As a registrant, you are responsible for the initial and continued assessment of patients who are self-administering and have continuing responsibility for recognising and acting upon changes in a patient’s condition with regards to safety of the patient and others. Standard 10: Self-administration – children and young people In the case of children, when arrangements have been made for parents or carers or patients to administer their own medicinal products prior to discharge or rehabilitation, the registrant should ascertain that the medicinal product has been taken as prescribed. Standard 11: Remote prescription or direction to administer In exceptional circumstances, where medication has been previously prescribed and the prescriber is unable to issue a new prescription, but where changes to the dose are considered necessary, the use of information technology (such as fax, text message or email) may be used but must confirm any change to the original prescription. Standard 12: Text messaging As a registrant, you must ensure that there are protocols in place to ensure patient confidentiality and documentation of any text received including: complete text message, telephone number (it was sent from), the time sent, any response given, and the signature and date when received by the registrant.
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Standard 13: Titration Where medication has been prescribed within a range of dosages, it is acceptable for registrants to titrate dosages according to patient response and symptom control and to administer within the prescribed range. Standard 14: Preparing medication in advance Registrants must not prepare substances for injection in advance of their immediate use or administer medication drawn into a syringe or container by another practitioner when not in their presence. Standard 15: Medication acquired over the internet Registrants should never administer any medication that has not been prescribed, or that has been acquired over the internet without a valid prescription. Standard 16: Aids to support compliance Registrants must assess the patient’s suitability and understanding of how to use an appropriate compliance aid safely.

Section 5
Delegation Standard 17: Delegation A registrant is responsible for the delegation of any aspects of the administration of medicinal products and they are accountable to ensure that the patient, carer or care assistant is competent to carry out the task. Standard 18: Nursing and midwifery students Students must never administer or supply medicinal products without direct supervision.

10 Standards for medicines management

Standard 19: Unregistered practitioners In delegating the administration of medicinal products to unregistered practitioners, it is the registrant who must apply the principles of administration of medicinal products as listed above. They may then delegate an unregistered practitioner to assist the patient in the ingestion or application of the medicinal product. Standard 20: Intravenous medication Wherever possible, two registrants should check medication to be administered intravenously, one of whom should also be the registrant who then administers the intravenous (IV) medication.

Section 6
Disposal of medicinal products Standard 21: Disposal A registrant must dispose of medicinal products in accordance with legislation.

Section 7
Unlicensed medicines Standard 22: Unlicensed medicines A registrant may administer an unlicensed medicinal product with the patient’s informed consent against a patient-specific direction but NOT against a patient group direction.

Section 8
Complementary and alternative therapies Standard 23: Complementary and alternative therapies Registrants must have successfully undertaken training and be competent to practise the administration of complementary and alternative therapies.

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Section 9
Management of adverse events (errors or incidents) in the administration of medicines Standard 24: Management of adverse effects As a registrant, if you make an error you must take any action to prevent any potential harm to the patient and report as soon as possible to the prescriber, your line manager or employer (according to local policy) and document your actions. Midwives should also inform their named supervisor of midwives. Standard 25: Reporting adverse reactions As a registrant, if a patient experiences an adverse drug reaction to a medication, you must take any action to remedy harm caused by the reaction. You must record this in the patient’s notes, notify the prescriber (if you did not prescribe the drug) and notify via the Yellow Card Scheme immediately.

Section 10
Controlled drugs Standard 26: Controlled drugs Registrants should ensure that patients prescribed controlled drugs are administered these in a timely fashion in line with the standards for administering medication to patients. Registrants should comply with and follow the legal requirements and approved local standard operating procedures for controlled drugs that are appropriate for their area of work.

12 Standards for medicines management

Contents
Standards
Section 1: Method of supplying and/or administration of medicines Standard 1: Methods Standard 2: Checking Standard 3: Transcribing Section 2: Dispensing Standard 4: Prescription medicines Standard 5: Patients’ own medicines Section 3: Storage and transportation Standard 6: Storage Standard 7: Transportation Section 4: Standards for practice of administration of medicines Standard 8: Administration Standard 9: Assessment Standard 10: Self-administration – children and young people Standard 11: Remote prescription or direction to administer Standard 12: Text messaging Standard 13: Titration Standard 14: Preparing medication in advance Standard 15: Medication acquired over the internet Standard 16: Aids to support compliance

16 24 26 28 29 33 34

35 39 42 43 45 46 46 47 49

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Section 5: Delegation Standard 17: Delegation Standard 18: Nursing and midwifery students Standard 19: Unregistered practitioners Standard 20: Intravenous medication Section 6: Disposal of medicinal products Standard 21: Disposal Section 7: Unlicensed medicines Standard 22: Unlicensed medicines

51 52 53 54 55 57

Section 8: Complementary and alternative therapies Standard 23: Complementary and alternative therapies 59 Section 9: Management of adverse events (errors or incidents) in the administration of medicines Standard 24: Management of adverse events Standard 25: Reporting adverse reactions Section 10: Controlled drugs Standard 26: Controlled drugs

60 62 63

14 Standards for medicines management

Annexes
Annexe 1 Legislation Annexe 2 Guidance on labelling and over-labelling of medicines Annexe 3 Suitability of patients’ own medicinal products for use Annexe 4 Exclusion criteria for self-administration medicines Annexe 5 Administering medicinal products in research clinical trials Annexe 6 Information, advice and publications Annexe 7 Glossary Annexe 8 Contributors

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The standards: Section 1
Methods of supplying and/or administration of medicines
Methods to enable nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses to supply and/or administer may include the following: Standard 1: Methods 1 Registrants must only supply and administer medicinal products in accordance with one or more of the following processes: 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Patient-specific direction (PSD) Patient medicines administration chart (may be called a medicines administration record (MAR)) Patient group direction (PGD) Medicines Act Exemption (where they apply to nurses) Standing order Homely remedy protocol Prescription forms

2 Once a medicinal product has been prescribed and dispensed to an individual, the drug is the individual’s own property. To use it for someone else is theft. Registrants should refer to DH (2006) Medicines Matters: A guide to mechanisms for the prescribing, supply and administration of medicines.

16 Standards for medicines management

Patient-specific direction (PSD) 3 A patient-specific direction (PSD) is a written instruction from a qualified and registered prescriber for a medicine including the dose, route and frequency or appliance to be supplied or administered to a named patient. In primary care, this might be a simple instruction in the patient’s notes. Examples in secondary care include instructions on a patient’s medicines administration chart. The direction would need to be specific as to the route of administration it cannot simply authorise a course of treatment to several patients. Where a PSD exists, there is no need for a patient group direction. 4 Each individual patient must be identified on the PSD. An example of using a PSD is in the administration of routine vaccine where a list of patients due a vaccine may be identified beforehand. In the case of controlled drugs, it is essential to comply with full prescription requirements. Go to www.dh.gov.uk and search for controlled drugs. Patient medicines administration chart 5 The patient medicines administration chart is not a prescription but a direction to administer medication. It must be signed by a registered prescriber and authorises the delegation to administer medication on the prescriber’s behalf. However, in doing so the registrant is accountable for their actions and for raising any concerns about the direction with the prescriber, for example, in respect to clarity. Patient group direction (PGD) 6 Patient group directions (PGDs) are specific written instructions for the supply or administration of a licensed named medicine including vaccines to specific groups of patients who may not be individually identified before presenting for treatment. Guidance on the use of PGDs is contained within Health Service Circular (HSC) 2000/026.

Section 1: Standard 1

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7 See Home Office circular 049/2003. Controlled Drugs Legislation – Nurse Prescribing And Patient Group Directions. Go to www.dh.gov.uk and search for controlled drugs. 8 Guidance has also been issued in Wales (WHC 2000/116), and in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 9 The circular also identifies the legal standing of PGDs plus additional guidance on drawing them up and operating within them. It is vital that anyone involved in the delivery of care within a PGD is aware of the legal requirements. PGDs are not a form of prescribing. 10 PGDs are drawn up locally by doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and other health professionals where relevant. They must be signed by a doctor or dentist and a pharmacist, both of whom should have been involved in developing the direction, and must be approved by the appropriate health care organisation. The NMC would consider it good practice that a lead practitioner from the professional group using the PGD and senior manager where possible, are also involved and sign off a PGD. 11 PGDs can be used by independent providers for NHS commissioned services. As medicines legislation does not apply outside the UK, a PGD would not be required – for example – on cruise ships. However, the NMC would consider it good practice for such bodies to develop protocols using PGD templates that are signed off by a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, other health professionals where relevant and a senior manager where possible. 12 PGDs should only be used once the registrant has been assessed as competent and whose name is identified within each document. The administration of drugs via a PGD may not be delegated. Students cannot supply or administer under a PGD but would be expected to understand the

18 Standards for medicines management

principles and be involved in the process. Where medication is already subject to exemption order legislation there is no requirement for a PGD. 13 When supplying under PGD, this should be from the manufacturer’s original packs or over-labelled pre-packs so that the patient details, date and additional instructions can be written on the label at the time of supply. Registrants must not split packs. For more information on labelling see annexe 2. 14 See To PGD or not to PGD at: www.portal.nelm.nhs.uk/PGD/viewRecord.aspx?recordID=422 15 PGDs in the NHS: www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_ PAGE&nodeId=148 16 PGDs in the private sector: www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_ PAGE&nodeId=147 Medicines Act Exemptions 17 Allow certain groups of healthcare professionals including occupational health nurses under occupational health schemes and midwives to sell, supply and administer specific medicines directly to patient and clients. 17.1 17.2 Provided the requirements of any conditions attached to those exemptions are met, a PGD is not required. Registrants must work to locally agreed written protocols and procedures, and maintain auditable records. Occupational health nurses that offer services, for example, open access travel clinics outside of occupational health schemes must comply with guidance from the appropriate regulator.

17.3

Section 1: Standard 1

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18 Registrants may only supply and administer under an exemption order where the order pertains to them. Where nurses are working as emergency care practitioners within an ambulance service they may not supply and administer under paramedic exemptions unless they are also registered as a paramedic with the Health Professions Council – to do so would contravene medicine legislation and the employer’s vicarious liability would not apply. 19 Search for NMC Circular 1/2005 Medicine legislation: what it means for midwives at www.nmc-uk.org Standing orders 20 In the past, maternity service providers and occupational health schemes have produced local guidelines, often referred to as ‘standing orders’, to supplement the legislation on the medicinal products that practising midwives and occupational health nurses may supply and/or administer. These guidelines are not a prerequisite under any legislation. There is no legal definition for standing orders and this term does not exist in any medicines legislation. The NMC would consider it good practice where midwives and occupational health nurses are using standing orders for medicinal products that are not covered by Medicines Act Exemptions that these should be converted to PGDs. Homely remedy protocols 21 Homely remedy protocols cannot be used for prescription only medicines including controlled drugs. These must be supplied and administered under a PSD, a prescription or a PGD.

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Guidance
22 Homely remedy protocols are not prescriptions but protocols to enable administration of general sales list (GSL) and pharmacy only (P) listed medicines in settings, for example, care homes, children’s homes and some educational institutions. Although they have no legal standing they are required for liability purposes. Any registrant using a homely remedy protocol must ensure there is a written instruction that has been drawn up and agreed in consultation with other relevant qualified professionals. (Where possible this should be a medical practitioner or pharmacist.) The protocol should clarify what medicinal product may be administered and for what indication it may be administered, the dose, frequency and time limitation before referral to a GP. An example of a homely remedy could be paracetamol for a headache. All registrants using the protocol should be named and they should sign to confirm they are competent to administer the medicinal product, acknowledging they will be accountable for their actions. 23 The NMC considers it good practice that the employing organisation signs off all protocols.

Prescription forms 24 NHS prescription forms are classified as secure stationery. Prescription forms are serially numbered and have anticounterfeiting and anti-forgery features. Within the NHS they are purchased by primary care trusts (PCTs), hospital boards and hospitals via a secure ordering system, and distributed free. The range of prescription forms used by registered prescribers can be found in each UK country government website.

Section 1: Standard 1

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25 Specific controlled drug prescription forms are available from the local health care organisation, for example, PCT, LHB, for use in the private healthcare sector. Specific controlled drug prescriptions are used for treatment of addiction and for private prescriptions for controlled drugs. Only the designated prescription form should be used. Detailed guidance on how to complete prescription forms, including special requirements when prescribing controlled drugs, is available from the Department of Health (DH), Health Care Commission (HCC), Home Office, the Prescription Prices Division of the NHS Business Services Authority website and in the BNF. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority is equivalent to the HCC in Northern Ireland. Registrants in Northern Ireland should access their website for up-to-date information on their standards. www.npc.co.uk/controlled_ drugs/CDGuide_2ndedition_February_2007.pdf 26 For the Welsh Health circular, go to: www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/WHC_2006_018.pdf 27 Search for the Home Office Circular Controlled Drugs Legislation – Nurse Prescribing and Patient Group Directions at: www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/circular.nsf Who may write a prescription? 28 Any qualified and registered independent prescriber may prescribe all prescription only medicines for all medical conditions. In addition, nurse independent prescribers may also prescribe some controlled drugs. 29 Supplementary prescribers may prescribe in accordance with a clinical management plan (CMP) in a tripartite arrangement with a doctor or dentist, the patient and the supplementary prescriber. A supplementary prescriber, when acting under and in accordance with the terms of a CMP, may administer and supply or direct any person to administer controlled

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drugs in schedules 2, 3, 4 and 5, and can prescribe unlicensed medicinal products. Please see section 5 of this document on delegation. Prescribing by nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses 30 The Medicinal Products: Prescription by Nurses Act 1992 and subsequent amendments to the pharmaceutical services regulations allow nurses and midwives, who have recorded their qualification on the NMC register, to become nurse or midwife prescribers. There are two levels of nurse and midwife prescribers: Community practitioner nurse prescribers 30.1 These are registrants who have successfully undertaken a programme of preparation to prescribe from Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary. They can prescribe the majority of dressings and appliances, and a limited range of prescription only medicines. The Community Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary can be found on the British National Formulary website. Go to: www.bnf.org Independent and supplementary nurse and midwife prescribers 30.2 These are nurses and midwives who are trained to make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment (independent prescribing). They may also, in cases where a doctor has made an initial diagnosis, go on to prescribe or review the medication, and change the drug, dosage, timing or frequency or route of administration of any medication as appropriate as part of a clinical management plan (supplementary prescribing).

Section 1: Standard 1

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31 Nurse or midwife independent prescribers can prescribe all prescription only medicines including some controlled drugs, and all medication that can be supplied by a pharmacist or bought over the counter. They must only prescribe drugs that are within their area of expertise and level of competence, and should only prescribe for children if they have the expertise and competence to do so. 32 Nurse, midwife and specialist community public health nurse prescribers must comply with current prescribing legislation and are accountable for their practice. 33 For Department of Health guidance go to www.dh.gov.uk and search: nurse independent prescribing. Standard 2: Checking 1 Registrants (1st and 2nd level) must check any direction to administer a medicinal product. 2 As a registrant you are accountable for your actions and omissions. In administering any medication, or assisting or overseeing any self-administration of medication, you must exercise your professional judgement and apply your knowledge and skill in the given situation. As a registrant, before you administer a medicinal product you must always check that the prescription or other direction to administer is: 2.1 2.2 not for a substance to which the patient is known to be allergic or otherwise unable to tolerate based, whenever possible, on the patient’s informed consent and awareness of the purpose of the treatment clearly written, typed or computer-generated and indelible

2.3

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2.4

specifies the substance to be administered, using its generic or brand name where appropriate and its stated form, together with the strength, dosage, timing, frequency of administration, start and finish dates, and route of administration is signed and dated by the authorised prescriber in the case of controlled drugs, specifies the dosage and the number of dosage units or total course; and is signed and dated by the prescriber using relevant documentation as introduced, for example, patient drug record cards. clearly identified the patient for whom the medication is intended recorded the weight of the patient on the prescription sheet for all children, and where the dosage of medication is related to weight or surface area (for example, cytotoxics) or where clinical condition dictates recorded the patient’s weight.

2.5 2.6

3 And that you have: 3.1 3.2

Section 1: Standard 2

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Standard 3: Transcribing 1 As a registrant you may transcribe medication from one ‘direction to supply or administer’ to another form of ‘direction to supply or administer’.

Guidance
2 This should only be undertaken in exceptional circumstances and should not be routine practice. However, in doing so you are accountable for your actions and omissions. Any medication that you have transcribed must be signed off by a registered prescriber. In exceptional circumstances this may be done in the form of an email, text or fax before it can be administered by a registrant. 3 Any act by which medicinal products are written from one form of direction to administer to another is transcribing. This includes, for example, discharge letters, transfer letters, copying illegible patient administrations charts onto new charts, whether hand-written or computer-generated. 4 When medicine administration records in a care home are hand-written by a registrant, they may be transcribed from the details included on the label attached to the dispensed medicine. However, in doing so the registrant must ensure that the charts are checked by another registrant where possible, and where not, another competent health professional.

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5 The registrant is accountable for what they have transcribed. 6 Managers and employers are responsible for ensuring there is a rigorous policy for transcribing that meets local clinical governance requirements. 7 As care is being increasingly provided in more ‘closer to home’ settings that are often nurse-led, managers and employers should undertake a risk assessment involving registrants, pharmacists and responsible independent prescribers to develop a management process to enable transcribing to be undertaken where necessary. It should not be routine practice. Any transcription must include the patient’s full name, date of birth, drug, dosage, strength, timing, frequency and route of administration. 8 Transposing is the technical term used by pharmacists for transcribing.

9 Registrants are advised to read the Health Care Commission guidance for the transcribing of prescribed medicines for individuals on admission to children’s hospices. The principles apply to all settings. Go to www.cqc.org.uk. Registrants in Northern Ireland should refer to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority website at www.rqia.org.uk

Section 1: Standard 3

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The standards: Section 2
Dispensing
Standard 4: Prescription medicines 1 Registrants may in exceptional circumstances label from stock and supply a clinically appropriate medicine to a patient, against a written prescription (not PGD), for self-administration or administration by another professional, and to advise on its safe and effective use.

Guidance
2 The definition of dispensing is “To label from stock and supply a clinically appropriate medicine to a patient, client or carer, usually against a written prescription, for selfadministration or administration by another professional, and to advise on safe and effective use”. (MHRA, 2006) 3 Dispensing includes such activities as checking the validity of the prescription, the appropriateness of the medicine for an individual patient, assembly of the product, labelling in accordance with legal requirements and providing information leaflets for the patient. 4 If under exceptional circumstances you, as a registrant, you are engaged in dispensing, this represents an extension to your professional practice. There is no legal barrier to this practice. However, this must be in the course of the business of a hospital, and in accordance with a registered prescriber’s written instructions and covered by a standard operating procedure (SOP). In a dispensing

28 Standards for medicines management

doctor’s practice, registrants may supply to patients under a particular doctor’s care, when acting under the directions of a doctor from that practice. The patient has the legal right to expect that the dispensing will be carried out with the same reasonable skill and care that would be expected from a pharmacist.

Standard 5: Patients’ own medicines 1 Registrants may use patients’ own medicines in accordance with the guidance in this booklet Standards for medicines management. 2 The NMC welcomes and supports the self-administration of medicinal products and the administration of medication by carers wherever it is appropriate. The use of patients’ own medicinal products in any setting 3 Where patients have their own supply of medicinal products, whether prescribed, over the counter (from a pharmacy, supermarket or shop), complementary therapy, herbal preparation or homely remedy such as paracetamol, the registrant has a responsibility to: 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 ask to see the medicinal products check for suitability of use explain how and why they will or won’t be used establish if they are prescribed ascertain if they meet the criteria for use.

4 These medicinal products including controlled drugs remain the patient’s property and must not be removed from the patient without their permission and must only be used for that named individual.

Section 2: Standard 5

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5 The registrant has a responsibility to document in the patient’s notes when a patient refuses consent: 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 to use their own medicines to dispose of their own medicinal products no longer required to dispose of their own medicinal products not suitable for use when in the hospital or care home setting to send their own medicinal products home with a relative or carer

Storage of patients’ own medicinal products 6 As a registrant you have the following responsibilities: 6.1 to ensure that suitable facilities are provided to store patients’ own medicinal products for their safe storage to assess patients on a regular basis using local polices to ensure that the individual patient is still able to self-administer to document issues relating to storage in their records that the medicines cabinet or locker is kept locked and that the master key is kept secure that if the patient is self-administering, consent is obtained from the patient to keep the individual medicines cabinet/locker locked and the key secure with the patient

6.2

6.3 6.4 6.5

30 Standards for medicines management

6.6

that if a patient moves to another bed, to another ward or room or is discharged, the patient’s medicinal products are transferred with the patient In a hospital setting, best practice indicates that stock medicines should not be placed in the patient’s locked cabinet or locker as they are not labelled for that individual patient.

6.7

Administering medicines using the patient’s own supply in the hospital or care home setting 7 When administering medicines from the patient’s own supply, the registrant must check the medicines in the locked cabinet or locker with the prescription chart and use only those medicines belonging to that named patient. 8 If a supply is not available, medicines belonging to another patient must not be used. 9 For further guidance on the use of patients’ own medicinal products including discharge and checking medications to take home (TTOs) see annexe 3. For self-administration of medicines see standard 9 of this document Selfadministration of medicines. One-stop dispensing 10 In some hospitals a system of one-stop dispensing is in operation and local policies should be developed for this using the guidance for patients’ own medicinal products as stated under standard 5 of this document.

Section 2: Standard 5

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Guidance
11 One-stop dispensing is a system of administering and dispensing medicinal products adopted in hospitals throughout the UK (Audit Commission Report: A Spoonful of Sugar 2002 – The Right Medicine (Scottish Executive 2002). It involves using the patient’s own medicinal products during their stay in hospital, either those dispensed by a community pharmacy or by the hospital pharmacy or both, providing they contain a patient information leaflet and are labelled with full instructions for use. Supplies are replenished should the supply run out whilst in hospital or when any new items are prescribed. Patients are discharged with a supply of medicinal products as agreed locally. 12 In one-stop dispensing, medicinal products are dispensed once only on or during admission ready for discharge. Registrants should check that the medication handed to the patient on discharge is as per the discharge prescription, as medicines may be altered or stopped during hospital admission. If a particular medicine has been stopped during admission and is not to be restarted on discharge, the patient must be informed. The ward pharmacist is a useful resource for advice.

32 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 3
Storage and transportation
Standard 6: Storage 1 Registrants must ensure all medicinal products are stored in accordance with the patient information leaflet, summary of product characteristics document found in dispensed UK-licensed medication and in accordance with any instruction on the label.

Guidance
2 The patient information leaflet or summary of product characteristics document for UK-licensed medicinal products may be found at www.emc.medicines.org.uk. Policies should be in place to ensure all storage environments meet the required standards and it is the responsibility of the registrant to check such policies are in place and are being adhered to. This is particularly important for medicines requiring storage within a limited temperature range, for example, refrigeration of vaccines when maintenance of the cold chain has to be considered during transfer for school sessions or administration in the patient’s home. Go to www.the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk/ 4r_page.asp?id=3119

Section 3: Standard 6

33

Standard 7: Transportation 1 Registrants may transport medication to patients including controlled drugs (CDs), where patients, their carers or representatives are unable to collect them, provided the registrant is conveying the medication to a patient for whom the medicine has been prescribed (for example, from a pharmacy to the patient’s home).

Guidance
2 However, it is considered good practice that registrants should not routinely transport CDs in the course of their practice. This should only be undertaken in circumstances where there is no other reasonable mechanism available. All drugs should be kept out of sight during transportation. 3 When collecting CDs from a pharmacy, the registrant will be asked to sign for them and prove identity in the form of their professional identity badge or Pin (where selfemployed). Midwives must be familiar with the use of midwives supply orders. Go to NMC Circular 25/2005 which you can find at www.nmc-uk.org/publications. It is anticipated as a recommendation from the Shipman Inquiry Fourth Report that new documentary evidence will be required in the form of a patient drug record card. Registrants would be expected to be aware of and comply with any new legislation and guidance introduced.

34 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 4
Standards for practice of administration of medicines
1 Having initially checked the direction to supply or administer that a medicinal product is appropriate for your patient or client (standard 2) you may then administer medication. Standard 8: Administration 2 As a registrant, in exercising your professional accountability in the best interests of your patients: 2.1 2.2 2.3 you must be certain of the identity of the patient to whom the medicine is to be administered you must check that the patient is not allergic to the medicine before administering it you must know the therapeutic uses of the medicine to be administered, its normal dosage, side effects, precautions and contra-indications you must be aware of the patient’s plan of care (care plan or pathway) you must check that the prescription or the label on medicine dispensed is clearly written and unambiguous you must check the expiry date (where it exists) of the medicine to be administered you must have considered the dosage, weight where appropriate, method of administration, route and timing

2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

Section 4: Standard 8

35

2.8

you must administer or withhold in the context of the patient’s condition (for example, Digoxin not usually to be given if pulse below 60) and co-existing therapies, for example, physiotherapy you must contact the prescriber or another authorised prescriber without delay where contraindications to the prescribed medicine are discovered, where the patient develops a reaction to the medicine, or where assessment of the patient indicates that the medicine is no longer suitable (see standard 25)

2.9

2.10 you must make a clear, accurate and immediate record of all medicine administered, intentionally withheld or refused by the patient, ensuring the signature is clear and legible; it is also your responsibility to ensure that a record is made when delegating the task of administering medicine. In addition: 3 Where medication is not given, the reason for not doing so must be recorded. 4 You may administer with a single signature any prescription only medicine, general sales list or pharmacy medication. In respect of controlled drugs: 5 These should be administered in line with relevant legislation and local standard operating procedures. 6 It is recommended that for the administration of controlled drugs, a secondary signatory is required within secondary care and similar healthcare settings. 7 In a patient’s home, where a registrant is administering a controlled drug that has already been prescribed and dispensed to that patient, obtaining a secondary signatory should be based on local risk assessment.

36 Standards for medicines management

8 Although normally the second signatory should be another registered health care professional (for example doctor, pharmacist, dentist) or student nurse or midwife, in the interest of patient care, where this is not possible a second suitable person who has been assessed as competent may sign. It is good practice that the second signatory witnesses the whole administration process. For guidance, go to www.dh.gov.uk and search for Safer Management of Controlled Drugs: Guidance on Standard Operating Procedures. 9 In cases of direct patient administration of oral medication, for example, from stock in a substance misuse clinic, it must be a registered nurse who administers, signed by a second signatory (assessed as competent), who is then supervised by the registrant as the patient receives and consumes the medication. 10 You must clearly countersign the signature of the student when supervising a student in the administration of medicines. 11 These standards apply to all medicinal products.

Guidance
Assessing competence to support a patient in taking their medication 12 A policy must be in place and adhered to in assessing the competence of an individual to support a patient in taking medication. A record of the individual’s training and assessment should be kept, and all refresher or continuing education and training should also be routinely kept.

Section 4: Standard 8

37

13 The registrant delegating should be satisfied that the individual has an appropriate level of education and training and has been assessed as competent. Where this is not the case, the registrant may refuse to delegate, even when requested to do so by another health professional. The registrant is accountable for her own actions including delegation.

Clarifying identity 14 Where there are difficulties in clarifying an individual’s identity, for example, in some areas of learning disabilities, patients with dementia or confusional states, an up-to-date photograph should be attached to the prescription chart(s). For patients with burns where the wearing of a wristband is inappropriate and a photograph would not resemble the patient, local policies should be in place to ensure all staff are familiar with the patients and a system of identification is in place. Registrants are responsible for ensuring the photograph remains up-to-date. Drug calculations 15 Some drug administrations can require complex calculations to ensure that the correct volume or quantity of medication is administered. In these situations, it is good practice for a second practitioner (a registered professional) to check the calculation independently in order to minimise the risk of error. The use of calculators to determine the volume or quantity of medication should not act as a substitute for arithmetical knowledge and skill.

38 Standards for medicines management

Standard 9: Assessment 1 As a registrant you are responsible for the initial and continued assessment of patients who are selfadministering, and have continuing responsibility for recognising and acting upon changes in a patient’s condition with regards to safety of the patient and others. 2 The NMC welcomes and supports the self-administration of medicinal products and the administration of medication by carers wherever it is appropriate. Registrants may assess the patients as suitable to self-administer medicinal products both in the hospital and primary care settings.

Guidance
Duty of care relating to using patients’ own medicinal products 3 At all times the registrant jointly with other health care professionals has a duty of care to the patient to ensure that only medicinal products which are prescribed and meet the required criteria are used by the patient. 4 Where self-administration of medicinal products is taking place, you should ensure that records are maintained appropriate to the environment in which the patient is being cared for. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 requires all those working with potentially incapacitated people to assess the individual’s capacity at a particular moment about a particular decision or issue. All patients should be assessed on a regular basis using local policies to ensure that the individual patient is still able to self-administer and this should be documented in their records.

Section 4: Standard 9

39

5 Patients can be assessed for suitability at the following levels: 5.1 Level 1 The registrant is responsible for the safe storage of the medicinal products and the supervision of the administration process ensuring the patient understands the medicinal product being administered. Level 2 The registrant is responsible for the safe storage of the medicinal products. At administration time, the patient will ask the registrant to open the cabinet or locker. The patient will then self-administer the medication under the supervision of the registrant. Level 3 The patient accepts full responsibility for the storage and administration of the medicinal products. The registrant checks the patient’s suitability and compliance verbally.

5.2

5.3

6 The level should be documented in the patient’s notes.

Guidance
7 Where patients consent to self-administration of their medicines the following points should be considered: 7.1 7.2 7.3 Patients share the responsibility for their actions relating to self-administration of their medicines. Patients can withdraw consent at any time. The pharmacy will supply medicines fully labelled, with directions for use, to every patient who is involved in self-administration.

40 Standards for medicines management

8 Information given and supervision should be tailored to individual patient need. 9 The following information should be provided to a patient before commencing self-administration: 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 the name of the medicine why they are taking it dose and frequency common side-effects and what to do if they occur any special instructions duration of the course or how to obtain further supplies.

10 The registrant must ensure that the patient is able to open the medicine containers or is offered assistance, for example, compliance aid. 11 Whilst the registrant has a duty of care towards all patients, the registrant is not liable if a patient makes a mistake self-administering as long as the assessment was completed as the local policy describes and appropriate actions were taken to prevent re-occurrence of the incident.

12 Guidance on exclusion criteria for self-administration of medicines can be found in annexe 4.

Section 4: Standard 9

41

Standard 10: Self-administration - children and young people 1 In the case of children, when arrangements have been made for parents, carers or patients to administer their own medicines prior to discharge or rehabilitation, the registrant should ascertain that the medicinal products have been taken as prescribed.

Guidance
2 This should preferably be done by direct observation but when appropriate also by questioning the patient, parent or carer. The administration record should be initialled and ‘patient self-administration’ documented. 3 The administration of medicinal products by parents or carers to their children must be carefully controlled. There is the potential for inadvertent omission of doses or administration of extra doses unless there is clear communication and documentation. 4 Parents or carers can be encouraged to administer to their children in whatever setting when this is appropriate to the clinical condition of the child and when the registrant has assessed that the parent or carer is competent to do so. In a hospital setting the registrant should provide the medicinal product from the appropriate storage and supervise administration.

42 Standards for medicines management

Unsupervised administration to children 5 Some parents and carers may administer to their children unsupervised if this has been agreed with the registrant in charge and if the medicinal products are stored in an appropriate secure locker. Responsibilities of the registrant and parent or carer must be specifically agreed and approved by the registrant in charge and agreed under local policies. Arrangements must be made for holding keys to the locker and for ensuring their return on discharge, and that any medicinal products remaining are supplied for discharge (if appropriately labelled and checked) or returned to the pharmacy. 6 The employing organisation should ensure appropriate clinical governance structures are in place. Standard 11: Remote prescription or direction to administer 1 In exceptional circumstances, where medication (not including controlled drugs) has been previously prescribed and the prescriber is unable to issue a new prescription, but where changes to the dose are considered necessary, the use of information technology (such as fax, text message or email) may be used but must confirm any change to the original prescription.

Section 4: Standard 11

43

Guidance
2 A verbal order is not acceptable on its own. The fax or email prescription or direction to administer must be stapled to the patient’s existing medication chart. This should be followed up by a new prescription signed by the prescriber who sent the fax or email confirming the changes within normally a maximum of 24 hours (72 hours maximum – bank holidays and weekends). In any event, the changes must have been authorised (via text, email or fax) by a registered prescriber before the new dosage is administered. The registered nurse should request the prescriber to confirm and sign changes on the patient’s individual medicines administration record (MAR) chart or care plan. 3 Where a medication has not been prescribed before, a nurse or midwife independent prescriber may not prescribe remotely if they have not assessed the patient, except in life-threatening situations. See standard 20 of the Standards of Proficiency for Nurse and Midwife Prescribers which you can find at www.nmc-uk.org/publications 4 In exceptional circumstances, a medical practitioner may need to prescribe remotely for a previously unprescribed medicine, for example, in palliative care or remote and rural areas the use of information technology (such as fax, text message or email) must confirm the prescription before it is administered. This should be followed up by a new prescription signed by the prescriber who sent the fax/ email confirming the changes within normally a maximum of 24 hours (72 hours maximum – bank holidays and weekends).

44 Standards for medicines management

The registrant is accountable for ensuring all relevant information has been communicated to the prescriber and s/he may refuse to accept a remote prescription if it compromises care to the patient. In this instance she should document accurately the communication that has taken place. Registrants should note that remote prescribing cannot be undertaken in a care home because they do not have access to a stock of medicines. 5 A prescription is required when the drug is to be both supplied and administered. For administration only, a direction to administer is sufficient. 6 It may be helpful to refer to the GMC Good Medical Practice Guide for further information available on the GMC website.

Standard 12: Text messaging 1 As a registrant, you must ensure that there are protocols in place to ensure patient confidentiality and documentation of any text received include: complete text message, telephone number (it was sent from), the time sent, any response given, and the signature and date when received by the registrant.

Guidance
2 An order to administer medication by text messaging is an increasing possibility. A second signature – normally another registrant but where this is not possible another person – should sign to confirm the documentation agrees with the text message. It must be regarded as a patient contact and all documentation should be in keeping with the NMC’s Record keeping: Guidance for nurses and midwives (2009).

Section 4: Standard 12

45

All received messages should be deleted from the receiving handset after documentation to maintain high standards of confidentiality. Further advice may be helpful including RCN – Use of text messaging services; Guidance for nurses working with children and young people (March 2006). 3 Wherever possible local policies should ensure the use of web-based products for texting that are secure and provide a robust audit trail. Clinical governance procedures should be in place to support such practice.

Standard 13: Titration 1 Where medication has been prescribed within a range of dosages it is acceptable for registrants to titrate dosages according to patient response and symptom control, and to administer within the prescribed range.

Guidance
2 A registrant must be competent to interpret test results, for example, blood results (heparin or glucose levels (insulin)), and assess, for example, withdrawal symptoms or signs of intoxication in the management of drug or alcohol withdrawal.

Standard 14: Preparing medication in advance 1 Registrants must not prepare substances for injection in advance of their immediate use or administer medication drawn into a syringe or container by another practitioner when not in their presence.

46 Standards for medicines management

Guidance
2 An exception to this is an already established infusion, which has been instigated by another practitioner following the principles set out above, or medication prepared under the direction of a pharmacist from a central intravenous additive service and clearly labelled for that patient. Where the specific summary of product characteristic or patient information leaflet indicate it should be prepared in advance, for example, some chemotherapy treatments, it is acceptable to do so. 3 Where a registrant has delegated to a named individual for a named patient’s medication, this may be drawn up in advance to enable the healthcare assistant (HCA) or family to administer the medication. The registrant is accountable for the delegation, and a full risk assessment should be documented in the patient’s records ensuring the registrant is aware of the risks before agreeing to delegate. The person to whom they are delegating the task is a ‘named individual’ who has been assessed and documented as competent. 4 Where you may be required to prepare substances for injection by a doctor, for example, in an emergency situation, you should ensure that the person administering the drug has undertaken the appropriate checks as indicated above.

Standard 15: Medication acquired over the internet 1 Registrants should never administer any medication that has not been prescribed, or that has been acquired over the internet without a valid prescription.

Section 4: Standard 15

47

Guidance
2 Medication over the internet may not have been stored appropriately, the quality and safety of the medication cannot be verified, and there is often no batch number and so no redress from the manufacturer should adverse reactions occur. 3 Registered pharmacy premises can operate and provide internet pharmacy services. Where medicines are supplied via the internet from a registered pharmacy, the same standards are expected as would be received in a face-toface situation. Patients’ own medication that has been purchased abroad and does not have a UK product licence. 4 In this situation, a registrant must seek to identify the source of the original prescription to confirm its authenticity. Where this is not possible, the registrant should ascertain whether or not the patient would be prepared to have prescribed for them a drug with similar properties that is licensed in the UK. If the patient is in agreement, the registrant should request a prescription from a registered prescriber. 5 In a life-threatening situation or where the patient refuses to take anything but the ‘unlicensed product’ and they are unable to administer the medication themselves, the registrant may administer the medication in conjunction with locally agreed policies. In all circumstances a clear, accurate and contemporaneous record of all communication and administration of medication should be maintained.

48 Standards for medicines management

Standard 16: Aids to support compliance 1 Registrants must assess the patient’s suitability and understanding of how to use an appropriate compliance aid safely.

Guidance
2 Before considering the use of compliance aids the registrant should explore with the patient other possible solutions, for example reminder charts, large print labels, non-childproof tops. Self-administration from the dispensed containers may not always be possible for some patients. If an aid to compliance is considered necessary, careful attention should be given to the assessment of the patient’s suitability and understanding of how to use an appropriate aid safely. Ideally a locally recognised assessment tool should be used. However, all patients will need to be regularly assessed for continued appropriateness of the aid. Ideally, any compliance aid, such as a monitored dose container or a daily or weekly dosing aid, should be dispensed, labelled and sealed by a pharmacist. The sealed compliance aids are generally referred to as monitored dosage systems. 3 Where it is not possible to get a compliance aid filled by a pharmacist, you should ensure that you are able to account for its use. The patient has a right to expect that the same standard of skill and care will be applied by you in dispensing into a compliance aid as would be applied if the patient were receiving the medication from a pharmacist. This includes the same standard of labelling and record keeping. Compliance aids, which can be purchased by patients for their own use, are aids that are filled from containers of dispensed medicines. If you choose to

Section 4: Standard 16

49

repackage dispensed medicinal products into compliance aids, you should be aware that their use carries a risk of error. You should also be aware the properties of the drug might also change when repackaged and so may not be covered by their product licence. Your employer needs to be aware of this activity and it should be covered by a standard operating procedure (SOP). The NMC would recommend that you confirm the appropriateness of re-packaging dispensed medicinal products with the community pharmacist who dispensed the medicines. You also need to consider how the patient will cope with medicines that cannot be included in compliance aids.

Crushing medication 4 The mechanics of crushing medicines may alter their therapeutic properties rendering them ineffective and are not covered by their product licence. Medicinal products should not routinely be crushed unless a pharmacist advises that the medication is not compromised by crushing, and crushing has been determined to be within the patient’s best interest. Disguising medication 5 As a general principle, by disguising medication in food or drink, the patient or client is being led to believe they are not receiving medication, when in fact they are. The NMC would not consider this to be good practice. The registrant would need to be sure what they are doing is in the best interests of the patient, and that they are accountable for this decision. See the NMC A-Z of advice for further information at www.nmc-uk.org

50 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 5
Delegation
Standard 17: Delegation 1 A registrant is responsible for the delegation of any aspects of the administration of medicinal products and they are accountable to ensure that the patient, carer or care assistant is competent to carry out the task.

Guidance
2 This will require education, training and assessment of the patient, carer or care assistant and further support if necessary. The competence of the person to whom the task has been delegated should be assessed and reviewed periodically. Records of the training received and outcome of any assessment should be clearly made and be available. 3 See the guidance section 4, standard 8.

Standard 18: Nursing and midwifery students 1 Students must never administer or supply medicinal products without direct supervision.

Guidance
2 In order to achieve the outcomes and standards required for registration, students must be given opportunities to participate in the administration of medication but this must always be under direct supervision. Where this is done,

Section 5: Standard 17

51

both the student and registrant must sign the patient or woman’s medication chart or document in the notes. The registrant is responsible for delegating to a student, and where it is considered the student is not yet ready to undertake administration in whatever form, this should be delayed until such time that the student is ready. Equally a student may decline to undertake a task if they do not feel confident enough to do so. The relationship between the registrant and the student is a partnership and the registrant should support the student in gaining competence in order to prepare for registration. As students progress through their training, their supervision may become increasingly indirect to reflect their competence level.

Standard 19: Unregistered practitioners 1 In delegating the administration of medicinal products to unregistered practitioners, it is the registrant who must apply the principles of administration of medicinal products as listed above. They may then delegate an unregistered practitioner to assist the patient in the ingestion or application of the medicinal product.

Guidance
2 Registrants may only delegate the ingestion or application of a controlled drug where the unregistered practitioner remains under the direct supervision of the registrant whether that is in a primary care, secondary care or independent sector setting. In care homes (personal care), health care assistants, support workers and care workers will not be skilled in giving medicines by invasive techniques and appropriate delegation is essential.
52 Standards for medicines management

3 In the care of children with complex needs where an individual care plan has been written and signed off by a registrant, and the unregistered practitioner has been assessed by a registrant as competent to undertake the specific administration of medicinal products to a specific named patient, this may be undertaken, for example, children with complex health needs in community settings, palliative care.

Standard 20: Intravenous medication 1 Wherever possible two registrants should check medication to be administered intravenously, one of whom should also be the registrant who then administers the intravenous (IV) medication.

Guidance
2 In the exceptional circumstance where this is not possible, IVs should be checked by one registrant with another competent person who knows the patient. This could be a parent, carer or the patient themself. At a minimum, any dose calculation must be independently checked. 3 Registrants should be aware of the risks identified in the NPSA fourth report from the Patient Safety Observatory Safety in doses: medication safety incidents in the NHS (2007 and 2009). Search for this report at www.npsa.nhs.uk 4 In relation to the administration of intravenous medication, throughout the duration of intravenous medication therapy the registered nurse or midwife has a duty of care to the patient to monitor the patient and their response. View the standards for administration of IV therapy on the RCN website at www.rcn.org.uk
Section 5: Standard 20 53

5 Registrants should also be familiar with the UK Injectable Medicines Guide currently under development at www.ukmi.nhs.uk

54 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 6
Disposal of medicinal products
Standard 21: Disposal 1 A registrant must dispose of medicinal products in accordance with legislation.

Guidance
2 A patient or their representative (who may be a registered nurse or midwife) should return unwanted prescribed medicinal products to a pharmacy for destruction. In primary care, unwanted medication should be returned to a community pharmacy where it can be consigned as medicinal waste – classified as household waste. The definition of household waste is taken from the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 and includes waste medicines from a patient’s own home and waste medicines from a residential care home. The definition does not extend to stock medicines from other healthcare professionals, for example, midwives, nurses or doctors. There should be local procedures in hospital for the disposal of medicinal waste often overseen by the pharmacy department. If medication is taken to another health care environment it then becomes clinical waste and must be disposed of in accordance with clinical waste regulations. A community pharmacy cannot legally accept prescription medicines for disposal from care homes registered to provide nursing care, or from care homes that provide both residential and nursing care.

Section 6: Standard 21

55

3 In this situation the care home (nursing) has to make its own arrangements for disposing of medication with a licensed waste management company. When a midwife is in possession of controlled drugs (CD) that are no longer required, they should be returned to the pharmacist from whom they were obtained, or to an appropriate medical officer. A record of the return should be made in the midwife’s controlled drugs register. When a schedule 2 CD has been prepared or drawn up but is no longer required or no longer usable, it should be destroyed by the midwife, in accordance with current regulations.

56 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 7
Unlicensed medicines
Standard 22: Unlicensed medicines 1 A registrant may administer an unlicensed medicinal product with the patient’s informed consent against a patientspecific direction but not against a patient group direction.

Guidance
2 An unlicensed medicine is the term used to refer to a medicine that has no marketing authorisation. If an unlicensed medicine is administered to a patient, the manufacturer may not have liability for any harm that ensues. The person who prescribes and dispenses or supplies the medicine carries the liability. This may have implications for you in obtaining informed consent.

Medicinal products used outside their licence 3 Medication which is licensed but used outside its licensed indications (commonly known as ‘off-label’) may be administered under a patient group direction only where such use is exceptional, justified by best practice, and the status of the product is clearly described. 4 As a registrant, you should be satisfied that you have sufficient information to administer a medicine prescribed off-label safely and, wherever possible, that there is acceptable published evidence for the use of that product for the intended indication.

Section 7: Standard 22

57

5 As a registrant, you should be satisfied that you have sufficient information to administer an unlicensed or off-label drug safely and, wherever possible, that there is acceptable published evidence for the use of that product for the intended indication. Liability for prescribing an off-label product sits with the prescriber and the dispenser or supplier. 6 The British National Formulary for children provides useful information for the administration of off-label medication for children. More information on unlicensed and off-label drugs can be found in the NMC publication Standards of proficiency for nurse and midwife prescribers which you can find at www.nmc-uk.org/publications

58 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 8
Complementary and alternative therapies
Standard 23: Complementary and alternative therapies 1 Registrants must have successfully undertaken training and be competent to practise the administration of complementary and alternative therapies.

Guidance
2 Registrants are accountable for their practice and must be competent in this area (please refer to The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives). You must have considered the appropriateness of the therapy to both the condition of the patient and any co-existing treatments. It is essential that the patient is aware of the therapy and gives informed consent. 3 Complementary and alternative therapies may interact with other types of medicinal products and laboratory tests. All complementary and alternative medicines should be recorded alongside other medicinal products and prescribed on inpatient prescription charts. You need to ensure that your employer has accepted vicarious liability for any complementary or alternative therapy you may undertake, or that you have indemnity insurance to cover your practice.

Section 8: Standard 23

59

The standards: Section 9
Management of adverse events (errors or incidents) in the administration of medicines
Standard 24: Management of adverse events 1 As a registrant, if you make an error you must take any action to prevent any potential harm to the patient and report as soon as possible to the prescriber, your line manager or employer (according to local policy) and document your actions. Midwives should also inform their named supervisor of midwives.

Guidance
2 The NMC supports the use of a thorough, open and multi-disciplinary approach to investigating adverse events, where improvements to local practice in the administration of medicinal products can be discussed, identified and disseminated. 3 It is important that an open culture exists in order to encourage the immediate reporting of errors or incidents in the administration of medicines. 4 The NMC believes that all errors and incidents require a thorough and careful investigation at a local level, taking full account of the context and circumstances, and the position of the practitioner involved. Such incidents require sensitive management and a comprehensive assessment of all the circumstances before a professional and managerial decision is reached on the appropriate way to proceed. If a practising midwife makes or identifies a drug error or incident, she should also inform her supervisor

60 Standards for medicines management

of midwives as soon as possible after the event. In the NHS, all errors (patient safety incidents) and near-misses should be reported through local risk management systems. In England and Wales you should then report the incident to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) through the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS), whereas in Northern Ireland you should report to the Northern Ireland Adverse Incident Centre, and in Scotland through the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHSQIS). 5 When considering allegations of misconduct arising from errors in the administration of medicines, the NMC takes great care to distinguish between those cases where the error was the result of reckless or incompetent practice and/or was concealed, and those that resulted from other causes, such as serious pressure of work, and where there was immediate, honest disclosure in the patient’s interest. The NMC recognises the prerogative of managers to take local disciplinary action where it is considered to be necessary but urges that they also consider each incident in its particular context and similarly discriminate between the two categories described above. Registrants and their managers may find the NPSA’s Incident Decision Tree Tool and Being Open Tool (details on www.npsa.nhs.uk and/or www.saferhealthcare.org.uk) useful. Allegations related to midwives would also be investigated by a supervisor of midwives as set out in the NMC’s Midwives rules and standards, rule 5.

Section 9: Standard 24

61

Standard 25: Reporting adverse reactions 1 As a registrant, if a patient experiences an adverse drug reaction to a medication you must take any action to remedy harm caused by the reaction. You must record this in the patient’s notes, notify the prescriber (if you did not prescribe the drug) and notify via the Yellow Card Scheme immediately.

Guidance
2 Yellow cards are found in the back of the British National Formulary and online on www.yellowcard.gov.uk. In addition you should report any near misses or adverse events to the NPSA. For further information read the BNF or access the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency website www.mhra.gov.uk. Adverse drug reactions and patient safety incidents involving medicines, where a side effect (adverse drug reaction) from a medicine was preventable and still occurred, should be reported as a patient safety incident (error) through local risk management systems to the NPSA NRLS.

62 Standards for medicines management

The standards: Section 10
Controlled drugs
Standard 26: Controlled drugs 1 Registrants should ensure that patients prescribed controlled drugs (CDs) are administered these in a timely fashion in line with the standards for administering medication to patients. Registrants should comply with and follow the legal requirements and approved local standard operating procedures for controlled drugs that are appropriate for their area of work.

Guidance
Medicines management for controlled drugs 2 Standards for medicines management apply to controlled drugs. However, following the government response to the fourth report of the Shipman Inquiry, there has been legislative change and new governance arrangements for controlled drugs (CDs), which impact on registrants. Registrants should be familiar with the DH guide Safer Management of Controlled Drugs 2006 and the DH document Guidance on the Management of Safe Use and Management of Controlled Drugs in Secondary Care in England Controlled Drugs in Acute Care 2007. 3 Go to www.dh.gov.uk and search: controlled drugs.

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4 Changes affecting the prescribing, record keeping and destruction of controlled drugs were introduced as a result of amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (MDR, 2001), Misuse of Drugs regulations (Northern Ireland), 2002, thereafter referred to as Misuse of Drugs Regulations (MDR), and the Health Act (2006), provided for regulations to be laid relating to governance and monitoring of controlled drugs. 5 The Health Act 2006 is primary legislation and applies to the whole of the UK although the regulations may differ in each of the devolved administrations. In England, the Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2006 came into force on 1 January 2007 and in Scotland on 1 March 2007. 6 Go to www.dh.gov.uk and search: The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2006. 7 Within the provisions of the Act, Wales and Northern Ireland will make their own regulations in relation to controlled drugs. These will be equivalent to the Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and use of) Regulations 2006. 8 Controlled drugs are those defined in the MDR (2001) and MDR Regulations, 2002 (NI). See annexe 1. However, on occasions, health care organisations choose to handle non-CDs in the same way as CDs to ensure a higher level of governance. This is a local decision and does not form part of this guidance, although registrants are reminded they should adhere to local policies where they exist. 9 At local level, all healthcare organisations are accountable, through the accountable officer, (not applicable to Wales or Northern Ireland until legislation comes into effect until at least 2008) for ensuring the safe management of controlled drugs.
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10 The regulatory requirements for accountable officers are set out in full in the Controlled Drugs (Supervision and Management of Use) Regulations 2006; www.opsi. gov.uk and a summary of the main provisions is provided at Appendix 2 of the DH Guidance on the Management of Controlled Drugs in Acute Care 2007. Standard operating procedures 11 Each of the activities concerned with CDs, regardless of where in an organisation they occur, must be described in a standard operating procedure (SOP). Registrants should be aware of all SOPs within their organisation. Requisitioning of controlled drugs 12 All stationery which is used to order, return or distribute controlled drugs (CD stationery) must be stored securely, and access to it should be restricted. 13 CD stationery should be kept in a locked cupboard or drawer. 14 There should be a list of the CDs to be held in each ward or department as stock items. The contents of the list should reflect current patterns of usage of CDs in the ward or department, and should be agreed between the senior pharmacist, appropriate medical staff and the registrant in charge. 15 Only the CDs listed in the stock list may be routinely requisitioned or topped-up. 16 The registrant in charge of a ward, department, operating theatre or theatre suite is responsible for the requisitioning of controlled drugs for use in that area. 17 The registrant in charge can delegate control of access (that is key-holding) to the controlled drugs cabinet to another, such as a registered nurse or operating
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department practitioner. However, legal responsibility remains with the registrant in charge. (In Northern Ireland, it is not possible to delegate key holding to another but they may allow access via the keys which are then returned to the registrant in charge.) 18 Orders must be written on suitable stationery (for example, a controlled drug requisition book) and must be signed by an authorised signatory. 19 A copy of the signature of each authorised signatory should be available in the pharmacy department for validation. 20 Requisitions must contain the: 20.1 hospital 20.2 ward or department 20.3 drug name, form, strength, ampoule size if more than one available 20.4 quantity 20.5 signature and printed name of nurse 20.6 date 20.7 signature to receive goods for transit 20.8 signature for receipt at ward or department. Receipt of controlled drugs 21 When CDs are delivered to a ward or department they should be handed to a designated person. On no account should they be left unattended. A local procedure should define the persons who are permitted to receive CDs and the way in which messengers identify them.

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22 As soon as possible after delivery the registrant in charge should: 22.1 check the CDs against the requisition – including the number ordered and received. If this is correct then the relevant (usually pink) sheet in the controlled drug requisition book should be signed in the ‘received by’ section 22.2 place the CDs in the CD cupboard 22.3 enter the CDs into the ward controlled drug record book, update the running balance and check that the balance tallies with the quantity that is physically present. Storage 23 The Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 cover the safe custody of controlled drugs in certain specified premises. The regulations also set down certain standards for safes and cabinets used to store controlled drugs. 24 Ward CD cupboards should conform to the British Standard reference BS2881 or be otherwise approved by the pharmacy department. This is a minimum security standard and may not be sufficient for areas where there are large amounts of drugs in stock at a given time, or there is not a 24-hour staff presence, or easy control of access. In this case the advice of security specialists or crime prevention officers should be sought. 25 All controlled drugs should be stored in a locked receptacle which can only be opened by a person who can lawfully be in possession, such as a pharmacist or registrant in charge, or a person working under their authority.

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26 General guidance for the storage of controlled drugs should include the following: 26.1 cupboards must be kept locked when not in use 26.2 the lock must not be common to any other lock in the hospital 26.3 keys must only be available to authorised members of staff 26.4 the cupboard must be dedicated to the storage of controlled drugs. No other medicines or items may be stored in the controlled drug cupboard. Controlled drugs must be locked away when not in use. Key-holding and access to CDs 27 The registrant in charge is responsible for the CD key and should know its whereabouts at all times. 27.1 Key-holding may be delegated to other suitably trained members of staff but the legal responsibility rests with the registrant in charge.

27.2 The controlled drug key should be returned to the registrant in charge immediately after use by another registered member of staff. 27.3 On occasions, for the purpose of stock checking, the CD key may be handed to an authorised member of the pharmacy staff. 28 Northern Ireland registrants: see paragraph 17 on requisitioning of controlled drugs above. Missing CD keys 29 If the CD keys cannot be found then urgent efforts should be made to retrieve the keys as speedily as possible, for example, by contacting nursing or midwifery staff who have just gone off duty.
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30 A procedure should be in place to ensure that the registrant in charge or duty nurse manager and the duty pharmacist are informed as soon as possible. The procedure should specify the arrangements for preserving the security of CD stocks and for ensuring that patient care is not impeded. Record keeping – controlled drug record books 31 Each ward or department that hold stocks of CDs should keep a record of CDs received and issued in a CD record book. In primary care, the relevant patient drug record card (where used) or CD record card for the administration of controlled drugs should be used. The registrant in charge is responsible for keeping the CD record book up to date and in good order. 32 The CD record book (acute care) should be bound (not loose-leaf), and it should have separate pages for each preparation. Entries should be made in chronological order, in ink. If a mistake is made, it should be crossed out with a single line or bracketed in such a way that the original entry is still clearly legible. This should be signed and dated, and witnessed by a second registered nurse or midwife who should also sign the change. 33 A record should be kept of all (schedule 2) controlled drugs that are received or issued. 34 All entries must be signed by two registrants, or one registrant and one student nurse or midwife (for administration only). Exceptionally, the second signature can be by another practitioner (for example, doctor or pharmacist) provided that they have witnessed the administration of the drug.

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35 For CDs received, the following details should be recorded: 35.1 date on which received 35.2 name of pharmacist making supply/serial number of requisition 35.3 amount received 35.4 form in which received 35.5 balance in stock 36 For CDs issued the following details should be recorded: 36.1 date on which issue was made 36.2 name of patient 36.3 amount issued 36.4 form in which issued 36.5 name/signature of nurse/authorised person making the issue 36.6 name/signature of witness 36.7 balance in stock 37 If part of a vial is given to the patient, then the registrant should record the amount given and the amount wasted, for example, if the patient is prescribed a diamorphine 2.5mg and only a 5mg preparation is available, the record should show, “2.5mg given and 2.5mg wasted”. 38 After every administration, the stock balance of an individual preparation must be confirmed to be correct and the balance recorded in the controlled drug register. 39 In the community where there may not be two registrants available, a second competent person (which may be the carer) may witness the administration and balance of a controlled drug.

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40 When recording controlled drugs received from pharmacy, the number of units received should be recorded in words not figures (for example, ten, not 10) to reduce the chance of entries being altered. On reaching the end of a page in the CD record book, the balance must be transferred to another page. The new page number must be added to the bottom of the finished page and the index updated. Stock checks 41 The registrant in charge is responsible for ensuring that regular (locally determined protocol) CD stock checks are carried out. 42 Two registered nurses or midwives, should perform this check (a student nurse or midwife may be the second checker provided they have the necessary knowledge to carry this out). 43 Checking of controlled drugs involves checking of entries in the register against the contents of the controlled drug cupboard, not the reverse, to ensure all entries are checked. It is not necessary to open packs with intact tamperevident seals for stock checking purposes. 44 A record indicating this check has been carried out and confirming the stock is correct may be kept in a separate record book or sheet or in the controlled drug register. 45 Stock balances of liquid medicines may be checked by visual inspection but the balance must be confirmed to be correct on completion of a bottle. Any discrepancy should be reported to the registrant in charge who should inform the pharmacist. Midwives and controlled drugs 46 A registered midwife may possess diamorphine, morphine, pethidine and pentazocine in her own right so far as is

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necessary for the practice of her profession. See the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 at: www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20013998.htm 47 Supplies of diamorphine, morphine, pethidine and pentazocine may only be made to her on the authority of a midwife’s supply order signed by the supervisor of midwives, or other appropriate medical officer who is a doctor authorised in writing by the local supervising authority. 48 The supervisor of midwives or other appropriate medical officer should be satisfied that locally agreed procedure is being followed before signing the supply order (for example, that the amount being requested is appropriate etc). 49 The order must specify the name and occupation of the midwife, the purpose for which the controlled drug is required and the total quantity to be obtained. Supplies of pethidine, pentazocine, morphine and diamorphine may be obtained from a hospital pharmacy. However, this is only when classed as within the course of the business of the hospital the midwife works in, or it is a registered hospital pharmacy, or it holds a wholesale dealer’s licence. The pharmacist who makes the supply should ensure that medicines are only supplied on the instruction of an authorised person. The pharmacist must retain the midwife’s supply order for two years. 50 Midwives should record full details of supplies of diamorphine, morphine and pethidine received and administered in their controlled drugs register. This register should be used solely for that purpose and be made available for inspection as required by the supervisor of midwives. 51 Once medicines are received – by midwives working in the community or independent midwives – they become the responsibility of the midwife, and should be stored safely and securely.
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52 Where it is necessary for midwives to keep medicines in their homes, the medicines should be placed in a secure, locked receptacle. If necessary, this should be provided by the employing body. 53 Administration of controlled drugs by midwives should be in accordance with locally agreed procedures. A record of administration of the controlled drugs should also be kept in the patient’s records. Returns and disposal 54 When a midwife is in possession of CDs that are no longer required they should be returned to the pharmacist from whom they were obtained, or to an appropriate medical officer. A record of the return should be made in the midwife’s controlled drugs register. 55 When a schedule 2 controlled drug has been prepared or drawn up but is no longer required or no longer usable, it should be destroyed by the midwife, in accordance with current regulations. A record of the destruction should be made. 56 Controlled drugs obtained by a woman by prescription from her doctor, for use in her home confinement are her own property and are not the midwife’s responsibility. Even when no longer required, they should not be removed by the midwife, but the woman should be advised to return them to the community pharmacy for destruction. Returns to pharmacy (all registrants) 57 The following details should be recorded when controlled drugs are returned to the pharmacy: 57.1 date 57.2 name, form, strength and quantity of drug being returned
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57.3 reason for return 57.4 name and signature of pharmacist removing the drugs 57.5 name and signature of nurse witnessing the removal of drugs from the ward 58 The top copy will be taken from the book and transported with the drugs to pharmacy. 59 In addition, an entry must be made on the relevant page of the ward controlled drug record book, showing: 59.1 date 59.2 reason for return 59.3 names and signatures of both nurse and pharmacist 59.4 quantity removed 59.5 balance remaining. 60 The drugs must be transported to pharmacy in a safe and secure way. Transport of CDs 61 At each point where a controlled drug moves from the authorised possession of one person to another, a signature for receipt should be obtained by the person handing over the drug. 62 Wherever possible, CDs must be transported in a secure, lockable or sealed, tamper-evident container. 63 Registrants working in the community may transport CDs, however, they should present their identity badge to the pharmacist and sign for them on receipt, and should ensure

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they are transported securely to the patient’s home. Once in the patient’s home, the registrant should sign the patient drug record card and it should be witnessed that the CD has been received by the patient. Where a second registrant is not available another competent person may witness receipt (this could be a carer). Disposal and destruction 64 Destruction on ward may take place at the same time as a pharmacy stock check. 65 CDs should be destroyed in such a way that the drug is denatured or destroyed so that it cannot be retrieved, reconstituted or used. 66 Destruction must occur in a timely fashion, so that excessive quantities are not stored awaiting destruction. 67 All destruction must be documented in the appropriate section of the register. 68 It must be witnessed by a second competent professional authorised under Regulation 27 of the MDR. Both persons must sign the register. 69 For more detail on the methods of destruction for CDs, registrants are advised to access table 2 of the Guidance on Controlled Drugs in Acute Care (2007), which summarises where CDs may be destroyed and who should carry out the destruction. 70 For guidance, go to www.dh.gov.uk and search for Safer Management of Controlled Drugs: Guidance on Standard Operating Procedures.

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Annexe 1
Legislation
There are a number of pieces of legislation that relate to the prescribing, supply, storage and administration of medicines. It is essential that you comply with them. The following is a summary of those that are of particular relevance. Medicines Act 1968 This was the first comprehensive legislation on medicines in the UK. The combination of this primary legislation and the various statutory instruments (secondary legislation) on medicines produced since 1968 provides the legal framework for the manufacture, licensing, prescribing, supply and administration of medicines. Among recent statutory instruments of particular relevance to registered nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses is The Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997, SI No1830. This consolidates all previous secondary legislation on prescription only medicines and lists all of the medicines in this category. It also sets out who may prescribe them. The sections on exemptions are of particular relevance to midwives, including those in independent practice, and to nurses working in occupational health settings. The Medicines Act 1968 classifies medicines into the following categories: Prescription only medicines (POMs) These are medicinal products that may only be sold or supplied to a patient on the instruction of an appropriate practitioner. An appropriate practitioner is a doctor, dentist, supplementary prescriber, or nurse or pharmacist independent prescriber. For more information on the appropriate use of medicines and the relevant legislation, it is advisable to consult with a

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pharmacist. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) can also provide more detailed information on medicines legislation. Pharmacy only medicines (Ps) These can only be purchased from a registered pharmacy. The sale must be by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. General sales list medicines (GSLs) These need neither a prescription nor the supervision of a pharmacist and can be obtained from retail outlets. Controlled drugs (CDs) The management of controlled drugs is governed by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its associated regulations. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971 and its associated regulations provide the statutory framework for the control and regulation of controlled drugs. The primary purpose of the MDA is to prevent misuse of CDs. The MDA 1971 makes it unlawful to possess or supply a controlled drug unless an exception or exemption applies. A controlled drug is defined as any drug listed in schedule 2 of the Act. Additional statutory measures for the management of controlled drugs are laid down in the Health Act 2006 and its associated regulations. Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (MDR) and Misuse of Drugs Regulations Northern Ireland (NI) 2002 The use of CDs in medicine is permitted by the Misuse of Drug Regulations (MDR). The MDR classify the drugs in five schedules according to the different levels of control required (see below). schedule 1 CDs are subject to the highest level of control, whereas schedule 5 CDs are subject to a much lower level of control.

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For practical purposes, health care staff need to be aware of the current regulations. The MDR are periodically amended and revised. The MDR currently in force and its amendments can be found at www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20013998.htm Schedule 1 (CD licence) Schedule 1 drugs include hallucinogenic drugs such as coca leaf, lysergide and mescaline. Production, possession and supply of drugs in this schedule are limited, in the public interest, to research or other special purposes. Only certain persons can be licensed by the Home Office to possess them for research purposes. Practitioners (for example, doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons) and pharmacists may not lawfully possess schedule 1 drugs except under licence from the Home Office. The drugs listed in schedule 1 have no recognised medicinal use although Sativex© (a cannabis-based product) is exempt from the requirements for a specific licence to be held by the pharmacist or prescriber, and is currently being supplied on a named-patient basis. Schedule 2 (CD POM) Schedule 2 includes more than 100 drugs such as the opioids, the major stimulants, secobarbital and amphetamine. Safe custody – schedule 2 CDs (except secobarbital) are subject to safe custody requirements (under the Misuse of Drugs Safe Custody Regulations 1973 – see below). They must be stored in a locked receptacle, such as an appropriate CD cabinet or approved safe, which can only be opened by the person in lawful possession of the CD or a person authorised by them. A licence is required to import or export drugs in schedule 2. Schedule 2 CDs may be administered to a patient by a doctor or dentist, or by any person acting in accordance with the directions of an appropriately qualified prescriber who is authorised to prescribe schedule 2 CDs.
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Nurse independent prescribers are currently permitted to prescribe, administer, or direct anyone to administer some CDs for specific conditions and routes of administration (under review). Schedule 3 (CD no register) Schedule 3 includes a small number of minor stimulant drugs and other drugs, which are less likely to be misused than drugs in schedule 2, or are less harmful if misused. Safe custody – schedule 3 CDs are exempt from safe custody requirements. Exceptions are flunitrazepam, temazepam, buprenorphine and diethylpropion, which must be stored in a locked CD receptacle within a secure environment. Schedule 4 (CD benzodiazepines and CD anabolic steroids) Schedule 4 is split into two parts. Part 1 (CD benzodiazepines) contains most of the benzodiazepines, plus eight other substances including zolpidem, fencamfamin and mesocarb. Part 2 (CD anabolic steroids) contains most of the anabolic and androgenic steroids such as testosterone, together with clenbuterol (adrenoreceptor stimulant) and growth hormones (5 polypeptide hormones). There is no restriction on the possession of a schedule 4 part 2 (CD anabolic steroids) drug when it is part of a medicinal product. However, possession of a drug from schedule 4 part 1 (CD benzodiazepines) is an offence without the authority of a prescription in the required form. Possession by practitioners and pharmacists acting in their professional capacities is authorised. Schedule 5 (CD invoice) Schedule 5 contains preparations of certain CDs (for example, codeine, pholcodine, morphine), which are exempt from full control when present in medicinal products of low strengths, as their risk of misuse is reduced.
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There is no restriction on the import, export, possession, administration or destruction of these preparations and safe custody regulations do not apply. Invoices must be retained for a minimum of two years. Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations Northern Ireland 1973 The Safe Custody Regulations impose controls on the storage of controlled drugs. The degree of control depends on the premises within which the drugs are being stored. All schedule 2 and some schedule 3 CDs should be stored securely in accordance with the MDR. These regulations state that such CDs must be stored in a cabinet or safe, locked with a key. It should be made of metal, with suitable hinges and fixed to a wall or the floor with rag bolts that are not accessible from outside the cabinet. Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1997 and Misuse of Drugs (Notification and Supply to Addicts (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1973 These regulations prohibit doctors from prescribing, administering or supplying diamorphine, cocaine or dipipanone for the treatment of addiction or suspected addiction except under Home Office licence. A licence is not required with such drugs for the treatment of organic disease or injury. Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997 This order sets out the requirements for a valid prescription. It also allows midwives to possess and administer diamorphine, morphine, pethidine or pentazocine in the course of their professional practice. A number of health care professionals are permitted to supply or administer medicines generally in accordance with a patient group direction (PGD) under Medicines Act legislation.

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Registered nurses are permitted to supply or administer some CDs in accordance with a PGD under Misuse of Drugs legislation. www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20013998.htm Health Act 2006 The key provisions of the act are: • all designated bodies such as healthcare organisations and independent hospitals are required to appoint an accountable officer • a duty of collaboration placed on responsible bodies, healthcare organisations and other local and national agencies including professional regulatory bodies, police forces, the Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care inspection to share intelligence on controlled drug issues • a power of entry and inspection for the police and other nominated people to enter premises to inspect stocks and records of controlled drugs. Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2006 The Controlled Drug (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2006 came into effect in England on the 1 January 2007. These regulations set out the requirements for certain NHS bodies and independent healthcare bodies to appoint an accountable officer, and describe the duties and responsibilities of accountable officers to improve the management and use of controlled drugs. The regulations also require specified bodies to cooperate with each other, including with regard to sharing of information, concerns about the use and management of controlled drugs, and the setting out arrangements relating to powers of entry and inspection.

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Annexe 2
Guidance on labelling and over-labelling of medicines
There may be occasions when registrants are required to dispense medicinal products and it is important that they understand the requirements for labelling correctly. General sale list medicines are sold over the counter in containers showing the product in the box. Each medicinal product includes patient information either as a leaflet or on the packet or both. Medicines dispensed to a patient-specific prescription must be labelled with all the required information. The standard labelling requirements for all dispensed items are: • the name of the person to whom the medicine is to be administered • the name and address of the person who sells or supplies the medicinal product • the date of dispensing • directions for use • the words “Keep out of the reach of children” or words of direction bearing a similar meaning (for example, “Keep out of the reach and sight of children”).

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Medicines supplied for use under a patient group direction are already labelled. These labels include all the standard labelling requirements apart from the patient’s name and date of supply. On supplying these medicines to the patient, the patient’s name and date of supply must be completed. This is sometimes known as over-labelling. Registrants are advised to access the Medicines Ethics and Practice Guide at www.rpsgb.org.uk/informationresources/ downloadsocietypublications

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Annexe 3
Suitability of patients’ own medicinal products for use
Additional guidance to Standard 5 of this document The registrant must check that the medicinal products are suitable for use by ensuring: • correct packaging and labelling • dispensing date • expiry date • instructions for use • dose • the medicinal product matches what is on the label • the patient information leaflet is enclosed • correct patient name and ownership. If the registrant is in any doubt as to the suitability of any of the medicinal products they must discuss this with their line manager or the pharmacy department. The registrant must seek consent to dispose of any unwanted medicinal product or they must be returned to the patient. Every effort must be made to ensure the patient understands the correct use of medications and the consequences of taking unprescribed medicines. Where the prescription is changed the registrant has a responsibility to ensure that the medicinal products are re-dispensed as soon as possible. Where a medicinal product is discontinued, it must be removed and with the patient’s permission disposed of in the appropriate manner.

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Administering medicines using the patient’s own supply in the hospital or care home setting When administering medicines from the patient’s own supply the registrant must check the medicines in the locked cabinet or locker with the prescription chart and use only those medicines belonging to that named patient. If a supply is not available medicines belonging to another patient must not be used. Discharge of patients from hospital who have used their own supply or when checking medications to take home (TTOs/TTAs) On discharge, the registrant is responsible for ensuring: • the medicinal products have been clinically checked by the pharmacist • the medicinal products are over-labelled for the patient • the patient has the correct medicines, prescription or discharge summary and the supply is checked by a pharmacist, registered nurse or by two registrants if out of hours or according to local policy • the patient has had sufficient medicinal products prescribed, dispensed and supplied to cover a period of time to enable them to access further supplies from their usual practitioner • the patient is aware of any changes to their medication, that is, new medicine, dose, brand, route • the patient has been educated and given patient information leaflets relating to all medication whether current or new

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• the patient takes all their medicinal products home with them or has given permission to dispose of the medicines no longer prescribed • where the patient wishes to retain their discontinued medicines the risk of confusion and possible under or overdose needs to be pointed out to them • in the hospital setting, if the patient has been self-administering the key is returned to the registrant in charge of the ward or unit before the patient is discharged or care transferred • if the bedside cabinet or locker key is lost, the appropriate hospital policy must be followed.

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Annexe 4
Exclusion criteria for self-administration of medicines
When assessing a patient’s suitability for self-administration of medicines, if the assessing registrant, in his or her professional judgement, is at all unhappy to let the patient self-administer, then the patient should be excluded and reassessed at another point. If the patient does not give consent to self-administer and other arrangements are made, information about their medicines and what to do after discharge must still be given. Patients who may be confused must not be given custody of their medicines but may administer on levels one and two only (see Standard 9 of this document). In the hospital setting, this includes patients who are ‘nil by mouth’, immediately post-op and under the influence of anaesthetic agents, acutely ill patients or confused patients. The assessment should be carried out at an appropriate time in the course of the patient’s admission to determine if they should be able to self-administer at a later stage, that is, when the anaesthetic agents have worn off or the acute stage of their illness is over. Patients with a past history of drug or alcohol abuse do not have to be excluded from self-administration of their medicines but the need for extra supervision and reinforcement of education should be highlighted and documented. These patients should

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spend more time on levels one and two to ensure they receive adequate supervision and education. These patients may never get to administer at level 3 but they can still be educated at levels 1 and 2. Any change in the patient’s condition would necessitate a review of their self-administration status. Local policies should be developed for this using the guidance for self-administration of medicinal products stated under Standard 9 of this document. Registrants should be aware that the Mental Capacity Act 2005 requires all those working with potentially incapacitated people to assess the individual’s capacity at a particular moment about a particular decision or issue. This would be predominantly older people and people with learning difficulties.

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Annexe 5
Administering medicinal products in research clinical trials
Registrants involved in the supply or administration of a treatment or a placebo as part of a clinical trial would not need to consent to the trial itself, however, patients are required to do so. They would, however, need to know that the trial was taking place, and be willing to take part to the extent that they would be supplying or administering the medicine or placebo. The registrant’s employer would need to discuss the trial with the registrant, and provide an information sheet in order to ensure that they had all the information available and confirmation that ethical approval had been sought and approved. The purpose of the trial would be to establish whether the treatment is effective. Therefore, patients taking the placebo are not being deprived of a medicine that is known to be effective. There should be no reason for a registrant to object to taking part in that they are not depriving a patient of effective treatment but rather contributing to the evidence base for effective treatment in the future. Also see Midwives rules and standards rule 8 on clinical trials which you can find at www.nmc-uk.org/publications

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Annexe 6
Information, advice and publications
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 1 Lambeth High Street London SE1 7JN Telephone 020 7735 9141 www.rpsgb.org.uk The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland 73 University Street Belfast BT7 1HL Telephone 028 90 326 927 www.psni.org.uk Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council 42 Queen Street Edinburgh EH2 3NH Telephone 0131 467 7766 www.communitypharmacyscotland.org.uk Office of the Chief Pharmacist Department of Health Richmond House 79 Whitehall London SW1A 2NS Telephone 020 7210 5761 www.dh.gov.uk Home Office 50 Queen Anne’s Gate London SW1H 9AP Telephone 020 7273 3474 www.homeoffice.gov.uk

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Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency Market Towers 1 Nine Elms Lane London SW8 5NQ Telephone 020 7084 2000 www.mhra.gov.uk NMC Professional Advice Service 23 Portland Place London W1B 1PZ Telephone 020 7333 9333 Fax 020 7333 6538 Email advice@nmc-uk.org www.nmc-uk.org The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry 12 Whitehall London SW1A 2DY 0870 8904333 www.abpi.org.uk The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (Scotland) Third Floor East Crichton House 4 Crichton’s Close Canongate Edinburgh EH8 8DT www.abpi.org.uk/Scotland/scot_intro.asp European Council for Classical Homeopathy at www.homeopathy-ecch.org Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health at www.fih.org.uk

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Publications Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Medicines, Ethics and Practice: A guide for pharmacists is published annually and is available from www.rpsgb.org.uk National Prescribing Centre (NPC). (2004) A guide to good practice in the management of Controlled Drugs in primary care (England). www.npc.co.uk The British National Formulary and the British National Formulary for Children are published jointly by the British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Copies are available from the Pharmaceutical Press, PO Box 151, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8QU. The Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS) is available from MIMS Subscriptions, PO Box 43, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 0YT, telephone 020 8845 8545 or fax 020 8845 7696. The Review of Prescribing, Supply and Administration of Medicines: A Report on the Supply and Administration of Medicines under Group Protocols, (Crown I) (Department of Health, London, April 1998) was published under cover of Health Service Circular (HSC) 1998/051 in England; Management Executive letter (MEL) (98)29 in Scotland; Welsh Health Circular (WHC) (98)27 in Wales, and by each Chief Professional Officer to their respective professional groups in Northern Ireland. Copies are available from the NHS response line on 0541 555 455. The Review of Prescribing, Supply and Administration of Medicines: Final Report (Crown II) (Department of Health, London 1999) is available from the same source. Non medical prescribing in Wales: a guide for implementation, July 2007, Welsh Assembly Government Drug Information at www.druginfozone.nhs.uk and includes a centrally maintained archive of approved PGDs.

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Medicines for Older People: Implementing medicines-related aspects of the NSF for Older People. DH March 2001 Can be searched for, and downloaded at, www.dh.gov.uk Medicines Partnership Programme at www.npc.co.uk/med_partnership National Electronic Library of Medicines www.nelm.nhs.uk National Health Service Quality Improvement www.nhshealthquality.org National Institute for Clinical Excellence www.nice.org.uk National Patient Safety Agency (2007 and 2009) Safety in doses: medication safety incidents in the NHS. Reports from the Patients’ Safety Observatory PRODIGY www.prodigy.nhs.uk Royal Pharmaceutical Society Great Britain (March 2005) The Safe and Secure handling of medicines: a team approach. A revision of the Duthie Report (1988) National Health Services Act 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 SI2001 No 3998 Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 SI1973 No 798 Medicines Act 1968 (as amended) POM Order 1983 (as amended) Prescription by Nurses etc. Act 1992 NHS Executive (2000) The Prescriptions Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment (No2) Order 2000 SI No 22899 The Stationery Office, London NHS Executive HSC 2000/026 Patient group directions (England only) (2000)

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Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2004) Factsheet on patient group directions www.rpsgb.org.uk/pdfs/factsheet10.pdf MHRA Patient Group Directions in the NHS. Search for at www.mhra.gov.uk MHRA Patient Group Directions in the Private Sector. Search for at www.mhra.gov.uk EC 92/27 Labelling and Leaflet Directive Self-administration of medicines by hospital inpatients www.audit-commission.gov.uk/itc/doc/selfadmin.doc Care Standards Act 2000 The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 The Private and Voluntary Health Care (England) Regulations 2001 Department of Health National Minimum Standards for social care services www.csci.org.uk/choose_and_find_care/ your_rights/national_minimum_standards.aspx Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2003) Administration and control of medicines in care homes and children’s services www.rpsgb.org.uk MDA/2004/001 – Reporting adverse incidents and disseminating medical device alerts Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_ PAGE&nodeId=5 National Patient Safety Agency (2003) National Reporting and Learning System service datasets. Go to www.npsa.nhs.uk

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Nursing and Midwifery Council circular – Medicines legislation: what it means for midwives, London: NMC 1/2005 Nursing and Midwifery Council circular – Midwives Supplies Orders, London: NMC 25/2005 Nursing and Midwifery Council – Midwives rules and standards, London: NMC 2004 Nursing and Midwifery Council – Standards of proficiency for nurse and midwife prescribers, London: NMC 2006 Royal College of Midwives, Midwives and medicines legislation: An Information Paper, London 2006 Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2005) Medicines, Ethics and Practice: A Guide for pharmacists: 29th edition Pharmaceutical Press. The British National Formulary online www.bnf.org For a list of current NMC publications go to www.nmc-uk.org/publications

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Annexe 7
Glossary
clinical governance Quality assurance activities which ensure that pre-determined clinical standards that have been set, are seen to be maintained by practitioners, and are evident within health care settings. The CMP is the foundation stone of supplementary prescribing. Before supplementary prescribing can take place, it is obligatory for an agreed CMP to be in place (written or electronic) relating to a named patient or client and to that patient or client’s specific condition(s) to be managed by the supplementary prescriber. The CMP is required to include details of the illness or conditions that may be treated, the class or description of medical products that can be prescribed or administered, and the circumstances in which the supplementary prescriber should refer to, or seek advice from, the doctor or dentist. Supplementary prescribers must have access to the same patient or client health records as the doctor or dentist. Since April 2005, nurse supplementary prescribers

clinical management plan (CMP)

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can prescribe controlled drugs, provided the doctor or dentist has agreed to this within the clinical management plan. competence Relates to the need for the student to demonstrate their ‘capability’ in certain skill areas to a required standard at a point in time. Component skills which contribute to being competent and achieving the standards of proficiency for registration. Competencies might include skills arising from learning outcomes or other requirements. To label from stock and supply a clinically appropriate medicine to a patient, client or carer, usually against a written prescription, for self-administration or administration by another professional, and to advise on safe and effective use.

competencies

dispensing

Health Care Commission The health watchdog in England. It has a statutory duty to assess performance of health care organisations, award annual performance ratings for NHS and coordinate the review of health care by others. (The Care Quality Commission has since taken over the role of the Health Care Commission – see www.cqc.org.uk).

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independent prescriber

A prescriber who is legally permitted and qualified to prescribe and takes the responsibility for the clinical assessment of the patient or client, establishing a diagnosis and the clinical management required, as well as the responsibility for prescribing, and the appropriateness of any prescribing. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates a system of licensing before medicines are marketed (see marketing authorisation). However, the Medicines Act allows certain exemptions from licensing which include: • the manufacture and supply of unlicensed relevant medicinal products for individual patients or clients (commonly known as ‘specials’) • the importation and supply of unlicensed relevant medicinal products for individual patients or clients • herbal remedies exemption.

licensed medication

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marketing authorisation Previously known as a ‘product licence’. This normally has to be granted by the MHRA before a medicine can be prescribed or sold. This authorisation, which confirms that medicines have met standards for safety, quality and efficacy, considers all of the activities associated with marketing medicinal products. Medicines Act exemptions Allow certain groups of healthcare professionals including occupational health schemes and midwives to sell, supply and administer particular medicines directly to patients or clients. Provided the requirements of any conditions attached to those exemptions are met, a patient group direction is not required. Also known as patient administration chart, the record by which medicinal products administered to a patient are recorded. The government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe. A special health authority created to coordinate all the efforts of all those involved in health care to learn from patient safety incidents occurring in the NHS.

medicines administration record

Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)

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nurse independent prescribers

Nurses and midwives who are on the relevant parts of the NMC register may train to prescribe any medicine for any medical condition within their competence with the exception of controlled drugs. The formulary from which nurses who have successfully completed the integrated prescribing component of the SPQ/SCPHN programme may prescribe independently. One-stop dispensing is a system of administering and dispensing medicinal products. It involves using the patient’s own medicinal products during their stay in hospital, either those dispensed by a community pharmacy or by the hospital pharmacy or both, providing they contain a patient information leaflet and are labelled with full instructions for use. The NMC register, which opened on 1 August 2004, has three parts: nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses. A record of prescriber qualifications on the register identifies the registrant as competent to prescribe as community practitioner nurse prescriber or a nurse independent and supplementary prescriber.

Nurse Prescribers Formulary for Community Practitioners (CPF) one-stop dispensing

parts of the register

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patient group direction (PGD)

Written instructions for the supply or administration of named medicines to specific groups of patients who may not be individually identified before presenting for treatment. Guidance on the use of PGDs is contained within Health Service Circular (HSC) 2000/026. (Note: In Wales WHC 2000/116. Separate guidance has also been issued in Scotland and NI.) The circular also identifies the legal standing of PGDs plus additional guidance on drawing them up and operating within them. It is vital that anyone involved in the delivery of care within a PGD is aware of the legal requirements. It is not a form of prescribing. See also guidance at www.npc.co.uk Data sheets found in all dispensed medicinal products which should be brought to the patient’s attention on administering the medicinal product. Written instructions from a doctor, dentist or nurse prescriber for a medicine to be supplied or administered to a named person. This could be demonstrated by a simple request in the patient or client’s notes or an entry on the patient or client’s drug chart.

patient information leaflet

patient specific direction

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prescription pricing division (PPD) registrants

Is a division of the NHS Business Services Authority in England responsible for processing all prescription items. Nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses currently entered in the NMC register. A partnership between patient or client and prescriber that allows the prescriber to authorise a prescription so it can be repeatedly issued at agreed intervals, without the patient or client having to consult the prescriber at each issue. Is an independent health and social care regulatory body for Northern Ireland which encourages continued improvement in quality of services through a programme of inspections and reviews. Rules are established through legislation and they provide the legal strategic framework from which the NMC develops standards, for example, Education, Registration and Registration Appeals Rules 2004 (SI 2004/1767). ‘Standards’ support the rules. Standards are mandatory and gain their authority from the legislation, in this case the order and the rules.

repeat prescribing

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

rules

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specialist community public health nurse

A nurse who aims to reduce health inequalities by working with individuals, families and communities, promoting health, preventing ill health and in the protection of health. The emphasis is on partnership working that cuts across disciplinary, professional and organisational boundaries that impact on organised social and political policy to influence the determinants of health and promote the health of whole populations. Those who have a major interest in ensuring an effective programme outcome, including programme providers, placement providers, students, mentors, practice teachers, external examiners, external agencies, service users and carers. The NMC is required by the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (the order) to establish standards of proficiency to be met by applicants to different parts of the register. The standards are considered to be necessary for safe and effective practice [Article 5(2)(a)]. These are set out within the Standards of proficiency for each of the three parts of the register, and for the recorded qualification of nurse or midwife prescriber.

stakeholders

standards

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summary of product characteristics supplementary prescribing

Information on medicinal products dispensed may be found at the Electronic Medicines Compendium. A voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber (doctor or dentist) and a supplementary prescriber, to implement an agreed patient or client-specific clinical management plan with the patient or client’s agreement. Any act by which medicinal products are written from one form of direction to administer to another is ‘transcribing’. Including discharge letters, transfer letters, copying illegible patient administrations chart onto new charts (whether handwritten or computer-generated). This term refers to medicines that are not licensed for any indication or age group. Reasons why a drug may not be licensed include: • the drug is undergoing a clinical trial, has been imported, has been prepared extemporaneously or prepared under a special manufacturing licence • the product is not a medicine but is being used to treat a rare condition.

transcribing (transposing)

unlicensed medicines

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unregistered practitioners

Practitioners providing care who are neither registered or licensed by a regulatory body and have no legally defined scope of practice. If a patient or client experiences an adverse drug reaction to a medication the nurse or midwife should record this in the patient or client’s notes, notify the prescriber (if they did not prescribe the drug) and notify via the Yellow Card Scheme immediately. Yellow cards are found in the back of the British National Formulary and online on www.yellowcard.gov.uk For further information read the BNF or access the MHRA website www.mhra.gov.uk

Yellow Card Scheme

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Annexe 8
Contributors
Anne Iveson, Medicines Manager, General Healthcare Group of Private Hospitals Anne Ryan, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency Cathy Cairns, Professional Adviser, Children and Young People’s Nursing, NMC Jan Palmer, Clinical Substance Misuse Lead, Prison Health, Department of Health, London Julie Matthews, Senior Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University Liz Dimond, Professional Officer (Shipman), Department of Health, London Liz Plastow, Professional Adviser, Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, NMC Marion Russell, Clinical Development Nurse: Medicines Management, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust Maureen Morgan, Professional Adviser, CNO Team, Department of Health, England Meghna Joshi, Pharmacist, Royal Pharmaceutical Society Great Britain

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Professor Matt Griffiths, Joint Prescribing and Medicines management Adviser, Royal College of Nursing Professor Molly Courtenay, Joint Prescribing and Medicines management Adviser, Royal College of Nursing Dr Susan Way, Professional Adviser, Midwifery, NMC Theresa Rutter, Joint Director Community Health Services, East and South East England Specialist Pharmacy Services, Kensington and Chelsea PCT Toni Bewley, Assistant to the Chief Nurse, The Royal Liverpool Children’s NHS Trust, AlderHey Trudy Granby, National Prescribing Centre Valerie Smith, Professional Adviser Independent Sector, Royal College of Nursing

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First published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2007. This current design was introduced in April 2010 with the addition of paragraph numbers to standards and guidance sections and updates to various references, however the content has not changed.
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Contact us Nursing and Midwifery Council 23 Portland Place London W1B 1PZ 020 7333 9333 advice@nmc-uk.org www.nmc-uk.org

PB-STMM-A5-0410

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