The Importance of Medicines Training in Care Homes

Background information

The idea of a care home in which the staff lacks medicine training is unthinkable. Still, due to the relatively unregulated nature of Britain’s care homes, there is certainly the potential for certain staff and facilities to fall through the cracks.

“Medication errors occur when weak medication systems and/or human factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages affect prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices, which can then result in severe harm, disability and even death. Multiple interventions to address the frequency and impact of medication errors have already been developed, yet their implementation is varied.”

(World Health Organisation)

The care home setting

The WHO recognises the genuine need for more coherent and fool-proof strategies. It knows there is a need for legislation for medicines training.  However, the need for the universal adoption of strict medicine training is greater in the care home setting.

Care homes tend to have many residents with conditions that require a wide range of medication. Sometimes high-risk in nature and often complex in terms of timing and interactions. There are also likely to be residents in the care home setting with a range of learning disabilities. These often present a challenging melange of medical needs. People with learning disabilities have overlapping conditions. These include mental health problems, diabetes, dementia, epilepsy and gastrointestinal disorders.

Unfortunately, over-medicating care home residents is a genuine problem. It is only through proper training and accurate record-keeping that this can be addressed. PHE (Public Health England) has estimated that around there are 30,000 people with learning disabilities taking medication.  Many of these are in care home settings.  Medications include antipsychotics or antidepressants without proper clinical justification. These types of medication, over time, can cause obesity, organ failure and even early mortality.

Care home staff need to provide support in taking medicines

The staff’s capability to assist care home residents with medication and decision-making is undeniably crucial. Recognizing this, the CQC emphasizes its importance, which effectively translates to:

• Firstly, remind residents about their medications.
• Secondly, assisting with medication packaging.
• Lastly, administering or aiding in medication administration.

Moreover, it’s of paramount importance that care home staff fully understand their roles when supporting residents on specific medications.

Medicines Training For Care Home Staff

Following the NICE guidelines, it’s recommended that care home staff responsible for medicine support undergo annual reviews. These evaluations focus on their skills, knowledge, and competency in medicine management. Consequently, staff should receive the necessary training and undergo thorough competency assessments. Furthermore, before handling medications, new staff must complete training and subsequent evaluations.

In addition to hands-on medicine training, there’s an imperative need for staff to master record-keeping for residents receiving medications. Inadequate records can, unfortunately, lead to mistakes and misuse. Therefore, comprehensive documentation should detail those ordering, administering, and managing medicines, including resident participation.

Finding The Right Training Programme

Turning to the CQC for guidance, it’s clear that the required training varies based on the care home type and resident profiles. Fortunately, a plethora of training options exist. Choosing the right provider becomes the initial, crucial step. Most training programmes, in essence, emphasize safe medication administration, error reduction, and a deep understanding of common medications.