Reading List

The items below are the primary official sources used to develop this course. NICE, CQC and the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service provide the practical framework, with additional signposting for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Core England Guidance

• NICE SC1: Managing medicines in care homes
  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/sc1
  Guidance on medicines policies for care homes, including resident involvement, information sharing, medicines reconciliation, ordering, storage, administration, covert administration and staff training.
• NICE SC1 recommendations
  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/sc1/chapter/recommendations
  Detailed recommendations covering staff competence, error management, safeguarding, PRN medicines, covert administration and medicines processes in care homes.
• NICE NG67: Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community
  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng67/chapter/recommendations
  Guidance for medicines support in homecare, supported living and community social care, including role boundaries, the 6 Rs, records, PRN medicines, time-sensitive medicines, delegation and covert administration.
• CQC: Medicines information for adult social care services
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/medicines-information-adult-social-care-services
  CQC's medicines hub for adult social care in England, linking to current provider guidance on key medicines topics.

CQC Adult Social Care Medicines Pages

• Medicines administration records in adult social care
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/medicines-administration-records-adult-social-care
  Covers MAR and eMAR expectations, recording refusals, person details, allergies, changes, separate records and record retention.
• Medicines care plans
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/medicines-care-plans
  Sets out requirements for person-centred, co-produced, reviewed and accessible medicines support plans.
• When required medicines in adult social care
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/when-required-medicines-adult-social-care
  Covers PRN protocols, reasons for use, dosing instructions, non-medicine support, outcome recording and review triggers.
• Time sensitive medicines
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/time-sensitive-medicines
  Guidance on medicines affected by timing of food, paracetamol spacing, Parkinson's medicines and other time-critical administration needs.
• Controlled drugs in care homes
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/controlled-drugs-care-homes
  Covers controlled drug storage, registers, witnessing, running balances, disposal and escalation of discrepancies in England care homes.
• Covert administration of medicines
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/covert-administration-medicines
  Explains the Mental Capacity Act, best-interests decision making, medicine-specific authorisation, pharmacist advice, records and review of covert administration.
• External medicines
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/external-medicines-such-creams-patches
  Advice on creams, ointments and patches including fire risk with emollients, site rotation, heat risk, removal and patch records.
• Storing medicines in care homes
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/storing-medicines-care-homes
  Covers storage risk assessment, secure storage, self-administration storage, rescue medicines and disposal storage.
• Storing medicines in fridges in care homes
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/storing-medicines-fridges-care-homes
  Guidance for cold-chain medicines, 2 to 8 degrees C storage, fridge security, daily temperature records and actions when temperatures are out of range.
• Training and competence in medicines optimisation for adult social care staff
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/training-competence-medicines-optimisation-adult-social-care
  Sets out expectations for training, competence assessment, annual review and records of competence.
• Disposing of medicines
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/disposing-medicines
  Covers disposal of expired, unwanted, stopped or damaged medicines and required disposal records.
• Good governance of medicines
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/good-governance-medicines
  Guidance on governance, accountability, audit, improvement and learning from medicines systems.

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service

• Choosing medicines formulations in swallowing difficulties
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/choosing-medicines-formulations-in-swallowing-difficulties/
  Advice on formulation choice for swallowing difficulties, SALT assessment, consent and care planning.
• Checking if tablets can be crushed or capsules opened
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/checking-if-tablets-can-be-crushed-or-capsules-opened/
  Explains risks of altering solid-dose medicines and the need to check medicine-specific advice.
• Why and how medicines are given with soft food or thickened fluid
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/why-and-how-medicines-are-given-with-soft-food-or-thickened-fluid/
  Practical guidance on administering medicines with soft food or thickened fluids, and how to record this in MARs or care plans.
• Covert administration of medicines: legal issues
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/covert-administration-of-medicines-legal-issues/
  Covers the legal and documentation pathway for covert administration.
• Using transdermal patches safely in healthcare settings
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/using-transdermal-patches-safely-in-healthcare-settings/
  Guidance on patch risks, site selection, monitoring, heat exposure, removal, disposal and recording.

Four-nations Signposting

• All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre: Care home medicines optimisation toolkit
  https://awttc.nhs.wales/medicines-optimisation-and-safety/medicines-optimisation-guidance-resources-and-data/prescribing-guidance/care-home-medicines-optimisation-toolkit/
  Wales resource with medicines policies, MAR templates, PRN records, patch charts, storage guidance, refrigerated medicines information, swallowing-difficulty tools and covert administration resources.
• Care Inspectorate Scotland: Review of medicine management procedures
  https://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/1605/review-of-medicine-management-procedures-guidance-for-care-at.pdf
  Scottish guidance on procedures, records, incidents, training, consent and covert medication considerations.
• Scottish Government: Polypharmacy guidance 2026 to 2029
  https://www.gov.scot/publications/polypharmacy-guidance-appropriate-prescribing-making-medicines-safe-effective-sustainable-2026-2029/pages/4/
  Scottish guidance on appropriate prescribing and medicine review, including recommendations for care homes and care at home.
• RQIA: What we do
  https://www.rqia.org.uk/what-we-do/
  Northern Ireland regulator information. RQIA inspects and regulates health and social care services in Northern Ireland against local standards.
• HSC Northern Ireland Clinical Education Centre: Medicines Management for Social Care Staff
  https://ceceducation.hscni.net/Course/Details/3583
  Northern Ireland training on safe storage, administration, disposal, RQIA minimum standards, controlled drug custody, covert administration, records and reporting.
• MHRA Yellow Card
  https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
  The official UK route for reporting suspected adverse drug reactions and device problems.