Waste medication includes:

• Discontinued medication
• Excess medication
• Refused medication
• Contaminated medication
• Resident has died (keep for 7 days)

Resident details should be removed by obscuring the name with a marker pen or removing the dispensing label prior to putting in the waste container.

All homes in Scotland, all homes registered as CHS (Care Home Services without nursing) in England and as residential in Wales need to:

• Return all medication to the pharmacy
• Pharmacy will provide the home with a signed order of all waste collected

All homes registered as CHS (Care Home Services with nursing) in England and as a nursing/ dual registered in Wales should dispose of waste using the following procedure:

• Liquids: remove resident details from all packaging and place liquids in their original container in the waste container
• Solids: remove resident details from the packaging, put the whole blister/ container in the waste; do not remove medication from their container
• Controlled drugs: denature the CDs using an appropriate denaturing kit/ DOOM kit, store in the CD cabinet for 24 hours, after 24 hours place in the waste container
• Loose medication: place in an tag bag or bottle, document the medication, date and quantity disposed of on the pack and put in the waste container

If you are returning/ disposing medication you will need to complete the audit line on the Mar Sheet and record as well in the Medication return book and have a witness to countersign.

If any medication remains within the blister, dispose the whole blister into the containers supplied by your waste contractor after removing the blister from the colored pill-pack.

If any controlled drugs need to be destroyed, an authorized member of staff should destroy the controlled drugs witnessed by another authorized member of staff using a DOOM kit. DOOM kit can only be used once.

Any destruction of controlled drugs need to be documented within the controlled drugs register and on the Mar Sheet in the audit line. The 2 member of staff should both sign both document.