CS15.2015 Enable children and young people, and those involved in their care, to manage prescribed medication

Overview

This standard is about working with children, young people and those involved in their care to manage their prescribed medication. It covers identifying the medicines used by children and young people, monitoring their effects, and promoting effective medicines management. It does not cover the administration of medicines by the practitioner, or supporting children and young people or their parents/carers to administer medication. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 2

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. legal, organisational and policy requirements relevant to your role and the activities being carried out
2. the nature, extent and boundaries of your work role and its relationship to others in your own and other organisations
3. the roles of other practitioners working with children, young people and families and how they relate between and across agencies
4. the importance of effective multi-agency working
5. the ethical issues, legal requirements and good practice guidelines on consent, including capacity issues and consent for children and young people
6. the principle of confidentiality and the implications for your practice
7. how to recognise and respond to the signs of injury, abuse or neglect and your responsibility in relation to raising concerns with the appropriate person or agency
8. local systems, procedures and protocols for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults
9. the principles of equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice and how they are applied
10. the duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be detrimental to the child or young person
11. the rights of children and young people to make decisions for themselves and to take risks in the context of their own lives, taking into account issues of capacity and your professional responsibility
12. how to engage with and communicate effectively with children and young people, and those involved in their care
13. the need for communication to be modified for different contexts and cultures, including the age, vulnerability, understanding, developmental capacity and communication needs and preferences of the child or young person and those involved in their care
14. the ways in which children and young people communicate non-verbally and through behaviour, as well as through language, and how different forms of behaviour can be interpreted
15. the importance of adopting a child/young person centred approach
16. the conditions and issues affecting children and young people in your area of practice and how they can inter-relate
17. child and young people's development, including emotional, physical, and social how they affect one another
18. how the behaviour needs of children and young people may affect others
19. the effect of parenting capacity, family, environment and cultural influences on the health and wellbeing of children and young people
20. the factors that contribute to the risk of harm to children and young people
21. the guidance that is available for your own practice and where to access this
22. current issues, research and evidence based practice relevant to your role
23. local sources of health and well-being information, advice and support for children and young people, and those involved in their care
24. statutory and organisational requirements and guidelines relating to medicines and regulatory bodies' standards and guidance
25. the classification of medicines including controlled drugs
26. the purpose and process of licensing medicines, and the implications of children and young people using medicines outside of their licence
27. how to obtain up-to-date information about medicines
28. the principle of cost effectiveness and how it impacts on the availability of medicines
29. the pharmacology, purpose and use of the main medicines used by children and young people in your area of practice, including those that are not licensed for use by children and young people
30. the therapeutic uses of medicines used in your area of practice, their normal dosage, actions, side effects, precautions and contra-indications
31. the particular risks which these medicines may have, including those not licensed for use by children and young people
32. the purpose of prescribing medications for specific individuals and the relationship of this to their overall plan of care
33. the importance of children and young people getting the medicines that are appropriate for their condition, age, development and weight
34. the different ways in which medicines are taken, the importance of following the prescribed method, dosage and frequency and the risks if this is not done
35. the importance of checking and considering the dosage, method of administration, route and timing of the administration in the context of the condition of the individual and co-existing therapies
36. types of equipment in relation to medicines administration routes and types of medicines in your area of practice
37. any physical and/or cognitive impairment that would make it difficult to comply with medicines management
38. the ways in which prescribed medications can be misused
39. why children and young people and those involved in their care should be aware of the dangers of sharing medicines and how to communicate the risks effectively
40. how to monitor the effect of medicines on the child or young person and evaluate their efficacy
41. the causes and signs of adverse reactions to medicines used by children and young people, including allergic reactions
42. methods of establishing when medicines are no longer suitable or needed
43. who to contact where contra-indications to the medicine are discovered, where the individual develops a reaction to the medicine, where assessment of the individual indicates that the medicine is no longer suitable, or where the medication is being misused
44. the physiological effects of medicines and of withdrawing from certain medicines and substances and how these can be managed
45. the nature and purpose of different compliance aids and the importance of assessing the child's, young person's or carer's suitability and understanding of how to use an appropriate aid safely
46. the risks associated with repackaging dispensed medicines into compliance aids
47. the concerns and misunderstandings that individuals may have in relation to medicines and their different routes of delivery and how these concerns can be addressed
48. the sources of expert advice on medicines and medicines management, and how to access these
49. the actions to take if a medicine is declined and the appropriate information and support which may be offered to individuals to enable them to make an informed decision
50. the factors which affect the storage of medicines, including expiry dates and location
51. methods and protocols for the safe transport and disposal of medicines
52. the importance of keeping full and accurate records, and how to do so in line with organisational requirements

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. communicate with the child or young person and those involved in their care in a way that is appropriate to their age, understanding, developmental capacity and preferences
2. encourage the child or young person and those involved in their care to seek clarification of any procedures, information, and advice relevant to them
3. comply with all the relevant legal, professional, and organisational requirements and guidelines
4. encourage and support the child or young person to discuss their feelings about their illness or condition and their need for medication
5. identify all medicines used by the child or young person in discussion with them and those involved in their care
6. obtain up-to-date information about the medicines used by the child or young person
7. establish whether the child or young person is using their medicines as instructed and identify any reasons for non-compliance or misuse with the child, young person or those involved in their care
8. communicate with other professionals, including the prescribing professional if contra-indications, non-compliance or misuse of medication is present
9. give appropriate information and advice to the child or young person and those involved in their care on the potential implications of their action when medicines are not taken as instructed
10. identify the risks of medicines related problems and share this information with the child or young person and those involved in their care
11. check with the child or young person and those involved in their care that the medicines are producing the intended effect and remain appropriate
12. encourage the child or young person and those involved in their care to monitor their reaction to their medicines and to report any concerns or problems
13. seek to resolve any differences of opinion between the child or young person and those involved in their care regarding the monitoring and use of medicines
14. encourage and support the child or young person, and those involved in their care, to discuss their perception and understanding of the purpose and use of medicines that they are using
15. identify and seek to rectify any misconceptions about the purpose and use of medicines
16. inform the child or young person and those involved in their care of sources of expert advice on medicines and their administration
17. provide the child or young person, and those involved in their care, with information about their medicines, the effects of treatment changes and combinations of prescriptions
18. provide information and advice to the child or young person and those involved in their care about the ways that medicines can be administered
19. provide information and advice to children and young people and those involved in their care about the safe use, transportation, storage and disposal of medicines
20. take appropriate action in response to any cause for concern about the medicines used or not used by the child or young person
21. produce records and reports that are clear, comprehensive, and accurate, and maintain the security and confidentiality of information

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB4 Enablement to address health and wellbeing needs