The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published Quality Standard (QS171) on medicines management for people receiving social care in the community.

It covers assessing if people need help with their medicines and deciding what medicines support they need to manage their medicines. It also covers communication between health and social care staff, to ensure people have the medicines support they need.

The Quality Standard says that before any medicines support is provided by a social care provider, commissioning and contractual arrangements need to be discussed, agreed to ensure that it is clear who is responsible and accountable for the decisions being made, and which providers will deliver each aspect of medicines support.

The four quality statements that make up the standard are:

• Statement 1 Adults having an assessment for social care in the community have their medicines support needs included in the assessment.
• Statement 2 Adults receiving medicines support in the community from a social care provider have their general practice and supplying pharmacy informed that support has started.
• Statement 3 Adults receiving medicines support in the community from a social care provider have a record of the medicines support that they need in their care plan.
• Statement 4 Adults receiving medicines support in the community from a social care provider are given information on how to raise any medicines-related problems.