{"id":4245,"date":"2025-03-24T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4245"},"modified":"2026-02-03T07:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T07:00:21","slug":"management-of-controlled-substances-in-care-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/management-of-controlled-substances-in-care-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Management of Controlled Substances in a Care Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Patient<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Care home residents typically have various day-to-day needs, from social interaction to support with food, drink and self-care, as well as the provision of medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some pharmaceutical items will be simple to manage. Nurses and social care practitioners<\/a> should assume that a resident can look after and self-administer their medication<\/a> unless a risk assessment has indicated otherwise. However, some medications, such as controlled drugs, require dedicated storage and management which is the responsibility of the care home team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elderly<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Staff should be aware of the types of medication that fall under the title of controlled drugs and have knowledge of how to safely store these items. It is essential to recognise key pieces of legislation that the entire care home team can look to for guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controlled drug use in care homes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A controlled drug is a substance specified in the extensive lists that make up parts of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (MDR)<\/a>. Care home staff are afforded protection when handling these products under the latter regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note that care homes without nursing support<\/a> cannot hold stocks of controlled drugs, just the items that have been prescribed and dispensed for an individual person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MDR splits controlled drugs into 5 \u2018Schedules\u2019<\/a> which are referenced throughout the legislation. Rules surrounding the acquisition, storage, prescription and administration of each substance differ depending on the schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst the legislation features endless lists, some of the key pharmaceuticals of note from Schedule 2 include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n