Non-Compliance with Medication

Non-Compliance with Medication

Most residents in care homes are prescribed some form of medication at some time as part of their treatment by their doctor or nurse. This home believes that the correct and effective administration of such medication is essential for the health and wellbeing of its residents and, in this regard, the home believes that it is an important part of the care given by the home that self-medicating residents are enabled to take their medication as prescribed and that non-self-medicating residents are administered their medication by staff effectively and as prescribed.

The organisation understands that the correct taking of such medication is essential for the health and wellbeing of its residents but also that there are circumstances whereby some residents will fail to comply with their prescribed treatments, eg self-medicating residents failing to take their medication as directed or non-self-medicating residents refusing their prescribed medication, or failing to swallow it and then disposing of it.

In such cases the organisation is clear that its staff have no right to force non-compliant residents to take their medication but that they do have a duty to monitor and refer all cases of non-compliance back to the original prescriber, to the residents GP and/or to the residents nurse or key worker.

With respect to the prescribing, supply, storage and administration of medicines, this organisation adheres fully to Outcome 9: Management of Medicines of the Care Quality Commission’s Guidance about Compliance: Essential Standards of Quality and Safety. The organisation also adheres to the Medicines Act 1968, The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, The Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 and the Nursing and Midwifery Council Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines.

Training

All staff will be offered training covering basic information about common medicines and how to recognise and deal with medication problems, including non-compliance. Nursing staff will be expected to keep themselves up to date as specified in Nursing and Midwifery Council guidelines for the administration of medicines. Additional training will be offered to those fulfilling a Designated Person role.