Worcestershire County Council

Evaluation sheet – Medication policy

All policies submitted must be at industry standard and contain the following information, set out in the criteria below:
You can use this guide as a self-evaluation tool / Where in your policy is this information?
Care / Risk assessments
The Provider must assess / risk assess the level of assistance required during the care assessment and must detail level of assistance / need within support plan / risk management plan
Levels of assistance to be outlined:
·  Prompting
·  Administering (including creams / eye drops / ear drops)
·  Specialised techniques
Training
·  Care workers should only support service users with their medication if they have received appropriate training and their competencies have been assessed prior to them delivering this level of support.
·  Capacity for staff to refuse to administer medication if they do not feel competent
Administration
Care workers ensure that medication are administered only from original containers / MDS
Care workers must ensure when administering medication:
·  only administer to the person for whom they were prescribed
·  check expiry date
·  checking that the person has not already been given the medication by anyone else
·  give the right dose, at the right time and by the right method
Incident reporting
Care workers must be able to recognise and report incidents including:
· if service user refuses medication
· medication errors (including overdoses / missed doses / wrong doses / administration of a drug at the wrong time)
· adverse reactions
· Unexpected / out of date medication
Guidance to include what action to take / who to inform when incidents occur / when to contact GP, prescriber or emergency services
·  Guidance on the administration of PRN (as and when required) medication
·  Guidance on the administration of non-prescribed medicines / Over the Counter medication (Simple medicines should not be given for more than 48 hours without seeking medical advice. The use of any over-the-counter medication should be recorded on the service user's MAR)
·  Requesting and the collection of repeat prescriptions
·  Guidance on the storage, administration, records and disposal of Special Measure drugs
·  Guidance on secondary dispensing
·  Guidance on covert administration
·  Guidance on safe storage of medication
·  Disposal of unwanted / expired medicines – (to supplying pharmacy / dispensing GP practice)
MAR procedure
Must detail how administered medication will be recorded (MAR) and roles / responsibilities of staff when transcribing and recording medication administered.
Including:
·  MAR to details all medication (including dose) prescribed for the person
·  When the medicines must be given
·  Any special information – given medicines with food / must be dissolved in water
·  Printed sheets to eliminate errors
·  Records must be signed by care worker at all times