The safe and secure handling of medicines is the responsibility of every team member and/or healthcare professional. All team members must ensure that they always work within their respective professional guidelines.

This policy supports you in your aims to ensure that all medicines are handled in a safe and secure way.

It is not the intention of this policy to countermand the professional standards and responsibility (or codes of conduct) for any group(s) of healthcare professionals. All healthcare professionals must therefore work within the codes of conduct of their professional bodies.

The policy is drawn from the following legal and regulatory frameworks:

• The Medicines Act 1968
• The Misuse of Drugs Act 1973
• The Health Act 2006
• Professional codes of ethics
• Department of Health policy, including NICE and NPSA
• Home Office Policy Department of the Environment Policy