Standards for medicines management

Update April 2009: The evaluation report for Standards for medicines management is now available.

This publication was reprinted in August 2008.

Download Standards for medicines management summary booklet [PDF]

Download Standards for medicines management - full content [PDF]

Background
The new publication replaces Guidelines for the administration of medicine (2004). The standards reflect the significant changes in contemporary nursing and midwifery practice. They are essentially broad principles for practice; nurses and midwives will need to apply the principles to their own areas of practice.

The standards should 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 national/local policies or protocols to suit local needs.

Many government and other agencies are involved in medicines management from manufacture, licensing, prescribing and dispensing, to administration.

Administration of a medicinal product is only part of the process. These standards reflect the whole process from prescribing through to dispensing, storage, administration and disposal.

In addition, there is an extensive range of guidance on medicines management from a range of other relevant bodies, which are listed in this publication. One of the best sources of advice locally is the pharmacist.

The NMC will keep these standards under review and will notify all registered nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses whenever further amendments are made.

• "Nurses and midwives have much greater access to computers at work these days, so we decided to produce these standards on a CD. It's the first time the NMC has used this approach and we hope you find it a practical, user-friendly format with which to work." Liz Plastow, Professional Adviser, Specialist Community Public Health Nursing

Ordering hard copies
Before ordering, please note: on 20 March, we sent copies (up to 20 for larger organisations) to selected individuals and agencies on our Circulars list. The following groups have already received copies:

• Higher education institutions
• Private sector providers
• Directors of nursing
• Heads of midwifery
• LSA Midwifery officers
• Nurse prescribers
• The Ministry of Defence
• Prisons

Related publication
For additional information please see The safe and secure handling of medicines: a team approach [PDF]
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain publication, updated March 2005
Download from the RPSGB website