Table of contents

·      New guidance from the Nursing and Midwifery Council on Standards for Medicines Management; on standards of proficiency for nurse prescribers and a new Code: standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. Changes in indemnity insurance and the use of the criminal standard of proof in hearings.

·      Changes to legislation include the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (In force October 2007)and the Mental Health Act 2007 giving greater protection to those lacking mental capacity and those who are detained because of mental disorder and include Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Community Treatment Orders and restrictions on compulsory administration of medicines to detained patients.

·      Patients rights of access to medicines and the role of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

·      The Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the establishment of the Care Quality Commission in 2009 and standards setting across the health and social care sector including medicines management

·      Cases brought against owners and managers in the private sector by the CQC.

·       New guidance issued by the Department of Health on controlled drugs in the light of the 4^th Shipman Report; on guidance on independent nurse prescribing; on Medicines Matters and on mixing of medicines by nurses and pharmacists covering the new rules introduced in 2009; DH report on the misuse of anti-psychotic drugs for those with dementia

·       Discontinuance of the Nurse Prescribers’ extended Formulary;

·       A new British Pharmacopoeia website

·       Extensions to the scope of patient group directions

·       Effect of the Traditional Herbal Medicines Products Directive brought completely into force in April 2011 and the establishment of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

·      Reclassification of cannabis

·      The establishment of the General Pharmaceutical Council and the changing function of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

·       New initiatives from the Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency including new arrangements for reporting adverse reactions; a new data base and on-line patient information service

·       Reports and warnings from the National Patient Safety Agency on medication errors

·      Changes to the pharmaceutical industry

·       Future changes in the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 on the organisation of the NHS and NHS quangos and their effect on the supply, administration and management of medicines