Update information
March 2017: The format of this guideline has been updated and the numbering of the recommendations has changed. Changes have also been made to 3 recommendations, and some definitions and hyperlinks have been updated.
Recommendation 2.8.4 in the 2013 version of the guideline has been removed because it is out of date. The recommendation advised on complying with the Care Quality Commission's essential standards of quality and safety. However, the essential standards have been replaced by fundamental standards, which do not refer specifically to medicines.
Changes were also made to recommendation 1.5.4 (2.5.4 in the 2013 version) to clarify changes in interpretation of the legislation. The recommendation is now clear that pharmacists and dispensing doctors may split original packs to supply a medicine against a PGD, as they would when supplying a medicine in accordance with a prescription.
In recommendation 1.1.10 (2.1.10 in the 2013 version) reference to Public Health England guidance has been removed. NICE is developing a guideline on managing common infections for all care settings.
February 2014: From February 2014, good practice guidance became known as medicines practice guidelines. This is to bring the guideline naming in line with other NICE products. This is purely a name change; the guideline recommendations and everything else remains the same.