Storing medicines in care homes

Page last updated: 3 November 2022

Points to consider in care homes

As a care home provider, you should assess each person's needs for storing their medicines. You should provide storage that meets the person's needs, choices and risk assessment. This should take account of the type of medicines system the person wants to use. It should also consider how access to the medicines will be restricted if this is required.

You should include the following information in your policies and processes. This will help make sure that medicines are stored safely and securely.

How and where

Policies and processes should include how and where medicines are stored, including:

medicines supplied in monitored dosage systems and original packs
controlled drugs - (when storing controlled drugs, you must follow the Misuse of Drugs Act (Safe Custody) Regulations. These regulations apply to all care homes that provide adult social care)
medicines with the potential for abuse or misuse
medicines which need to be stored in a refrigerator
external medicines for example. skin creams – also see Fire risk from use of emollient creams
oral nutritional supplements and thickeners
appliances and devices, including sharps
medicines for people who will be self-administering them
medicines that are required in an emergency
medicines that are only taken when they are required
medicines that are administered by external healthcare professionals
unwanted medicines waiting for disposal
medicines for end of life care
oxygen.

Risk Assessment

Care providers should consider including a medicines storage risk assessment within their medicines policy. This will help them decide how and where medicines will be stored. As a minimum, this should take into account:

the temperature requirements of the medicines
who needs to access the medicines
how access will be restricted to authorised people
the legal requirements relating to medicines storage
the people that the medicines are for.

Self-administered medicines

Some people will be administering medicines themselves. You should store these medicines as identified in the person’s risk assessment. For example, this could be in a lockable cupboard or drawer in their room.

People should be able to access any medicines that they need, when they need to take or use them. You must make sure that other people do not have access to these medicines.

Secure storage

You must store medicines securely. Only authorised care home staff should have access. Your processes and policies must also include how you make sure the keys are securely stored.

Temperatures and storage conditions

Care providers must ensure that policies and procedures consider how staff will monitor the temperature of medicines storage areas. This will help to make sure medicines are stored according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Providers should have a system or process for staff to know where to escalate concerns about storage or to seek advice.

Rescue medicines

Store ‘when required’ medicines for emergency use safely. For example:

buccal midazolam for seizure
adrenaline autoinjector for anaphylaxis
GTN spray for angina
glucose gel for hypoglycaemia.

Make sure that you can access them quickly when needed. Consider marking them with the phrase ‘for emergency use’ to aid identification.

Storage of medicines for disposal

Store medicines for disposal securely and separately to in use medicines. Control access, until they are collected or taken to the pharmacy.

NICE SC1 says “Medicines for disposal should be stored securely in a tamper-proof container within a cupboard until they are collected or taken to the pharmacy.”

All care settings should have a written policy for the safe storage of surplus, unwanted or expired medicines prior to their disposal.

Read about storage of medicines waiting for disposal or destruction