Unit 41 D1 The effect of legislation and guidelines on medication administration Megan Scully
D1: Evaluate the effects of legislation and guidelines on the administration of medication.
Case Study:
“The CQC representative for the local area has recently visited a nursing home, The Hollies, near
you. They have made the following points on the report that you have been given to read;
1. The policy for administration of medication was not up to date and still had the previous
managers’ name on it.
2. The Medication Administration Record sheet (MAR) had gaps where the staff had not
signed.
3. There were medicines in a pot left by the side of a resident’s bed.
4. There were a large number of old out of date tablets in a cupboard with names of patients
on who had died.
5. The allergies of patients were not documented on the MAR sheet.
6. When questioned one nurse did not know why a patient was on the prescribed medication
and what side effects may have been.
7. There was a dressings bin overflowing and no sharps box available.”
The policy for administration of medication was not up to date and still had previous managers’
name on it.
Medication administration is extremely important and there are numerous legislations which govern
it. The Care Standards Act 2000 is in place to ensure that medication administration standards are
high, if this piece of legislation is not adhered to, the care home may face prosecution. The care
home also failed to follow The Administration and Control of Medicines in Care Homes and
Children’s Services Act 2003, which is another form of legislation which governs medication
administration in order to prevent any harm to service users. Policies and procedures are also in
place to control the company and provide guidance on decision making for example. The fact that
the policy for medication was not up to date could cause numerous issues for staff when guidelines
are required as policies are also in place to protect the staff members and also the service users
from harm.
The Medication Administration Record sheet (MAR) had gaps where the staff had not signed.
Having gaps in MAR’s could cause a variety of issues, for example, if a staff member is unaware of
when or if a patient has had medication it could result in overmedicating the patient which could be
potentially fatal. If the patient is incredibly ill and is dependent upon the medication it could mean
they are in the situation where they have to go without their medication or may be overmedicated.
The issue where MAR sheets have not been signed by staff members breaks the Care Standards Act
2000 legislation. This is another example of how the care home could be prosecuted as the care
home has failed to uphold standards of medication administration. Again the Administration and
Control of Medicines in Care Homes and Children’s Services act 2003 was not adhered to as
medication administration was not present, if the sheet had not been signed it could also suggest
that the medication had actually not been provided to the patient which is failing to provide
medication as governed in Administration and Control of Medicines in Care Homes and Children’s
Services act 2003. This also fails to adhere to the Medicines Act 1968 if the medication was not
provided. As stated above policies and procedures were extremely likely to have been broken as the
MAR sheets are signed in order to modernise the patients care information and control their health
which is not the case if the MAR sheet had not been signed by staff members.
There were medicines in a pot left by the side of a resident’s bed.
This is potentially extremely hazardous to the health of the residents. In this case the Health and
Safety at Work Act (HASWA) 1974 has not been adhered to. The HASWA act ensures the safety of
D1: Evaluate the effects of legislation and guidelines on the administration of medication.
Case Study:
“The CQC representative for the local area has recently visited a nursing home, The Hollies, near
you. They have made the following points on the report that you have been given to read;
1. The policy for administration of medication was not up to date and still had the previous
managers’ name on it.
2. The Medication Administration Record sheet (MAR) had gaps where the staff had not
signed.
3. There were medicines in a pot left by the side of a resident’s bed.
4. There were a large number of old out of date tablets in a cupboard with names of patients
on who had died.
5. The allergies of patients were not documented on the MAR sheet.
6. When questioned one nurse did not know why a patient was on the prescribed medication
and what side effects may have been.
7. There was a dressings bin overflowing and no sharps box available.”
The policy for administration of medication was not up to date and still had previous managers’
name on it.
Medication administration is extremely important and there are numerous legislations which govern
it. The Care Standards Act 2000 is in place to ensure that medication administration standards are
high, if this piece of legislation is not adhered to, the care home may face prosecution. The care
home also failed to follow The Administration and Control of Medicines in Care Homes and
Children’s Services Act 2003, which is another form of legislation which governs medication
administration in order to prevent any harm to service users. Policies and procedures are also in
place to control the company and provide guidance on decision making for example. The fact that
the policy for medication was not up to date could cause numerous issues for staff when guidelines
are required as policies are also in place to protect the staff members and also the service users
from harm.
The Medication Administration Record sheet (MAR) had gaps where the staff had not signed.
Having gaps in MAR’s could cause a variety of issues, for example, if a staff member is unaware of
when or if a patient has had medication it could result in overmedicating the patient which could be
potentially fatal. If the patient is incredibly ill and is dependent upon the medication it could mean
they are in the situation where they have to go without their medication or may be overmedicated.
The issue where MAR sheets have not been signed by staff members breaks the Care Standards Act
2000 legislation. This is another example of how the care home could be prosecuted as the care
home has failed to uphold standards of medication administration. Again the Administration and
Control of Medicines in Care Homes and Children’s Services act 2003 was not adhered to as
medication administration was not present, if the sheet had not been signed it could also suggest
that the medication had actually not been provided to the patient which is failing to provide
medication as governed in Administration and Control of Medicines in Care Homes and Children’s
Services act 2003. This also fails to adhere to the Medicines Act 1968 if the medication was not
provided. As stated above policies and procedures were extremely likely to have been broken as the
MAR sheets are signed in order to modernise the patients care information and control their health
which is not the case if the MAR sheet had not been signed by staff members.
There were medicines in a pot left by the side of a resident’s bed.
This is potentially extremely hazardous to the health of the residents. In this case the Health and
Safety at Work Act (HASWA) 1974 has not been adhered to. The HASWA act ensures the safety of
