Storing medicines in care homes

Page last updated: 3 November 2022
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Medicines should be stored in a way that means they are safe and will be effective when administered.

All medicines have storage requirements that are specified by the manufacturer.

In care homes, medicines can be stored for individuals in their own rooms or centrally.

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:

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