Some people will have conditions or impairments that make it difficult for them to take medication.

They may need some additional support. 

Here are some examples: 

Depending on the size and nature of your employer, you will have different people with different responsibilities.

These will include identifying what your responsibilities are and whether your job role will involve supporting and assisting people with medication or administering medication. It is important that you understand the difference. We will cover this in a moment……Meanwhile….

Your organisation may have one or more care manager, registered manager or social worker.

They will be involved in finding out the individual’s medication needs, this will include if they:

1. Want to self-medicate
2. Can look after their medication
3. Know the dangers associated with taking and not taking their medication 
4. Understand what their medication is for
5. Understand when and how to take their medication
6. Are forgetful and need a strategy to remember
7. Need someone to support them
8. Lack capacity in any aspect
9. Need a Mental Capacity assessment

When the individual’s medication needs have been identified, this information is recorded in their care or support plan for everyone to understand and follow.

The care plan will be reviewed regularly, at agreed timescales, but also if the individual has been ill, in hospital or if their personal health or care needs change.

Registered managers are usually also responsible for:

• Ensuring workers have appropriate information and instructions.
• Delegation, responsibility and accountability.
• Ensuring the care or support plan is followed and reviewed.
• Ensuring risk assessments are in place.
• Ensuring workers are trained and assessed as competent.
• Incorporating and complying with NICE guidelines.
• Setting up recording systems and ensuring workers know how to use them.
• Compliance with CQC regulations and the law.

If you work for a large organisation, you are likely to have more than one registered manager.

If you work for a medium or large organisation, you may also have a line manager or shift leader as well as the registered manager(s).

Line managers and shift leaders are usually responsible for:

• Providing workers with appropriate information and instructions.
• Liaising with everyone to ensure a care or support plan and risk assessment is in place.
• Ensuring the care or support plan and risk assessment is followed.
• Ensuring workers are regularly checked as competent and safe to practice.
• Obtaining written consent from the individual or their advocate.
• Ensuring workers follow recording systems.
• Ensuring that medication is not used to punish or control behaviour.

It is highly likely that individuals you support will take medication at some point. 

Your role as a care or support worker could involve: 

The requirement to support, assist or administer medication and the level of assistance required for the person being supported, must be documented in the care or support plan and followed.

Supporting and assisting includes tasks to supervise self-medication, to remind or prompt.

These will be: 

1. Requesting repeat prescriptions from the GP and recording.
2. Collecting repeat prescriptions from the GP, pharmacy or chemist and recording.
3. Reminding and prompting the individual to take their medication on time.
4. Helping to get medicines out of the container or pack when the individual asks for help, for example, due to a physical disability.
5. Returning any unwanted or unused medicines to the pharmacy and recording this has been done.
6. Recording using the Medication Administration Record (MAR) and in the care plan.

When supporting and assisting an individual with their medication you must:

Always support individuals to be independent

Seek clarification if instructions are unclear

Watch what is happening and act on any concerns you have

Inform your manager if anything changes