Guidance on the Care of Patients in Nursing Homes and Residential Care settings

• Guidance on the Supply by Pharmacists in Retail Pharmacy Businesses of Medicines to Patients in Residential Care Settings and Nursing Homes (Undergoing update to reflect 1 March 2024 legislative amendments).

This guidance sets out  the requirements involved in the sale and supply of medicines to patients who are living in residential care settings/nursing homes. The guidance outlines a number of interactions between pharmacies and nursing homes relating to the importance of prescriptions, the appropriate delivery of medicines and the essential role of the pharmacist in the counselling of patients in residential care/nursing homes.

Supply of Controlled Drugs

• Explanatory Note on the Documentation and other Requirements to be met by Pharmacists in Retail Pharmacy Businesses in making supplies of Controlled Drugs to Patients in Nursing Homes (Undergoing update to reflect 1 March 2024 legislative amendments).

The purpose of this explanatory note is to set out the requirements under the Misuse of Drugs Acts for the supply of Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 controlled drugs to patients in nursing homes. It sets out the important distinction between public nursing homes and private nursing homes and the obligation on pharmacists to ensure the lawful supply of these medicines to patients.

Other Resources

These additional resources are intended to assist in the provision of safe and appropriate patient care and pharmacy services to patients in residential care settings and nursing homes.

• Presentation: Medicinal Product Supplies to Nursing Homes and to other Residential Care Setting
• Presentation: Provision of Safe and Appropriate Patient Care and Pharmacy Services
• Presentation: The Practitioner's Perspective
  
• Presentation: The Inspector's Perspective
• PSI video on the provision of safe and appropriate patient care and pharmacy services to patients in nursing homes.