Care Home Charter for Medicines

The Patients Association's Care Home Charter for Medicines was developed to improve how care homes across the UK manage the medicines their residents need to keep well.

Residents of care homes can use the Charter to be actively involved in decisions about their care. It also provides a guideline for care home staff to follow in order to improve a home's medication practices.

The Charter was developed in collaboration with experts in health and social care. It was piloted in 22 care homes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2017 and 2018. It has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) among other organisations.

On this page you can find out more about the Charter and download various resources:

The Charter is supported or endorsed by the following organisations:

British Geriatrics Society
Care England
Care Quality Commission
Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group
Jewish Care
National Care Forum
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
Queens Nursing Institute
Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Help to monitor medicines

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can occur in the home and in the healthcare setting.The University of Swansea has developed The Adverse Drug Reaction Profile (ADRe), for use by nursing staff. It helps nurses recognise and act on adverse drug reaction, including pain, dental pain, aggression, peptic ulcers, and sedation. ADRe has been developed with nursing professionals to help nursing staff take a structured approach to the monitoring of medicines. The developers of ADRe say it greatly enhances the administration of medicines, and by capturing an individualised picture of patients’ health and well-being,prompts prescribers to refine dosages.

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Contact the Patients Association helpline

The Patients Association offers a free national helpline providing specialist information and advice to help patients make sense of their health and social care.

Patients can talk directly to trained advisers in strict confidence about any concerns, questions or general experiences they have regarding the NHS and social care systems.

The helpline is open from 9.30 am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and calls outside these times are returned as soon as possible during opening hours.

This information was updated on 21st February 2022 and will be reviewed in August 2023.

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