Medication Management

Service Description

There are over 5,000 substances that are classed as medications. This includes: • Herbal medication • Vitamins • Controlled Drugs • Prescription medication • Over the counter medication The aims of medication are to improve quality of life, to alleviate symptoms, or to prevent symptoms altogether. Medications are vitally important to the people that we care for, so it is vital that all staff receive medication awareness training. Everything to do with the use of medications must be recorded, from the point it is received, right through to its disposal. When we look at medications as a whole, we have to ensure that the RIGHT PERSON receives the RIGHT MEDICATION at the RIGHT TIME, in the RIGHT DOSE by the RIGHT ROUTE and that the person has the RIGHT TO REFUSE. The delivery of medication should be around what is convenient for the service user or client group rather than for the organisation. That means times that suit your client group rather than those that suit your staff. Confidentiality must also be observed. We need to always be aware of your client group's privacy and dignity. This means supporting the individual when they take their medication, for example not giving an insulin injection in the middle of a dining room, but making sure that it is in someone’s bedroom or in a private area. Role of the Pharmacist Training Summary As somebody responsible for dispensing and advising on medications, it's important to know a little bit more about the role of the pharmacist. The role of the pharmacist is to ensure that there is a safe dispensing of prescribed medications, and medications that are available, and what we call over-the-counter OTC medication. So that the public can be assured that the medication that they have selected or somebody has selected for them is correct, and then they are going to apply it or take it correctly. The pharmacist does not only dispense medications but is also a valuable source of information both about their storage and administration. A pharmacist can give all types of advice to the patients, and it ranges from a spectrum of in terms of who the medication is for, what we are using the medication for, how to use the medication, how not to use the medication, what to do with the medication when we have finished with it, and a whole host of other areas that may overlap in those categories in terms of what we do with medication to make sure that we use it safely and get the best results from that medication. So finally,