Quality standard

This quality standard covers the safe and effective use of medicines. It covers people of all ages who are taking medicines, including those who are not getting the full benefit from their medicines. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.

It does not cover medicines optimisation specific to care home settings, which is included in NICE’s quality standard on medicines management in care homes.

How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them

Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.

Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them. We check our quality standards every August to make sure they are up to date.