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The first stop for professional medicines advice

Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (H to O)

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Topics: AdministeringService advice and planningSupply

Different staff groups have different permissions with respect to medicines supply and administration and it is important to ensure legislation is followed.

This article forms part of a series
  1. Legal mechanisms to supply and administer medicines to individuals
    1. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (A to G)
    2. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (H to O)
    3. Supply and administration of medicines by staff group (P to Z)

Contents

  1. How to use this page
  2. Essential reading
  3. Mechanisms by professional group
    1. Hearing aid dispenser
    2. Midwife
    3. Non-registered health professionals
    4. Nurse
    5. Nursing associate
    6. Occupational therapist
    7. Operating department practitioner
    8. Optometrist
    9. Orthoptist
    10. Orthotist and prosthetist
    11. Osteopath
  5. Update history

How to use this page

Staff groups are listed in alphabetical order and include information on what they can and cannot legally do, with respect to medicines supply and administration.

Essential reading

This page should be read in conjunction with Legal mechanisms to supply and administer medicines to individuals (SPS page) and Medicine administration by registered and non-registered staff (SPS page).

Mechanisms by professional group

What they can do

Hearing aid dispensers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

Hearing aid dispensers generally work in private practice and are rarely employed by NHS organisations.

What they can do

Midwives registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) can:

*Student midwives can only work under relevant Schedule 17 exemptions (midwives) under the direct supervision of a registered midwife. See also non-registered health professionals.

What they can do

The mechanisms below relate to non-registered health professionals. Examples include students, support staff, ambulance technicians.

This group can:

This group cannot:

What they can do

Nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) group can:

What they can do

Nursing associates registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Occupational therapists currently registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Operating department practitioners registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Optometrists registered with the General Optical Council (GOC) can:

What they can do

Orthoptists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

What they can do

Orthotists and prosthetists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can:

What they cannot do

These groups cannot:

What they can do

Osteopaths registered with the General Osteopath Council (GOsC) can:

What they cannot do

This group cannot:

Update history

  1. Republished
  2. Amended due to changes in HMR 2012
  1. Fixed links
  1. Community practitioner nurse prescriber added.
  1. Article series format review
  1. Midwife section updated to include Human Medicine Regulation 2012: Regulation 223
  1. Published