Medicines guidance for care homes published
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NICE guidance on 'Managing medicines in care homes' published last month recommends that pharmacy can play a greater part in supporting care homes, particularly in the areas of medicines reconciliation and medication reviews.
€This presents pharmacy with a great opportunity to not only supply medicines to homes, but to add value through their expertise in medicines,€ said Mimi Lau, Numark's director of pharmacy services. The guidance requires that designated staff can only administer medicines once they have the necessary training and are assessed as competent. €This will be a challenge for many care homes who may not have a formal structure in place,€ said Ms Lau, €but they can look to pharmacy to provide a solution.€
Numark is introducing a turnkey solution to support members to train and accredit care home staff from May. This will support pharmacies who want to train staff, and will include pharmacist and staff training booklets, online accreditation and an annual review process.