Guidance on medicines administration by care assistants in nursing homes

Is it legal, or appropriate, for care staff in nursing homes to administer drugs, when there are registered nurses working in that setting? This is not always clear, despite the fact that residents rely on care staff for many of their daily care needs, including taking their medicines. At the request of the Care Sector Nursing Taskforce at the Department of Health, the authors have reviewed the literature, legislation and policy documents on the subject, and have produced evidence-based guidance on whether, and in what circumstances, care assistants can administer medicines to residents of nursing homes. This article sums up both the reviewed evidence and the salient points of the new guidance.