Medication administration in the domiciliary care setting: whose role?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Social Care Policy
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Growing delegation of medication administration to unqualified social care workers in domiciliary settings.
• Need for clear guidelines and standards for medication management in home care.
• Existing gaps in training, policy, and provision for social care medication support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore considerations for commissioners and nurses before delegating medication assistance and administration roles.
• To clarify support levels and definitions for policy development in social care.
• To critique self-care support devices within a legal framework and highlight joint working benefits.

Main Methods:

• Review of Care Quality Commission guidance and Nursing and Midwifery Council standards.
• Analysis of medication support devices and their effectiveness.
• Discussion of legal frameworks and practical examples of joint working in medication management.

Main Results:

• Identified variations in training, policies, and provision for social care medication support.
• Clarified definitions and levels of support for medication management in domiciliary care.
• Critiqued the effectiveness of self-care devices under existing legal parameters.

Conclusions:

• Emphasizes the need for robust training, clear policies, and standardized support for social care medication administration.
• Highlights the importance of a legal framework and effective devices for safe self-care support.
• Stresses the necessity of joint working between healthcare professionals and social care providers for seamless medication management.