Care Home Resources
On this page you will find information for GP practices and care home staff. There are resources for ordering medication online on behalf of residents (proxy ordering) and links to CQC and NICE guidance that will help make decisions based on best practice and legislation.
Please see our Mental Health Prescribing page for information on Dementia, Learning Disabilities and Autism, and The Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Our Nutrition page has the Malnutrition Pathway for care homes including food first resources and a recipe book for fortified diets.
Proxy Ordering – ordering prescriptions online on behalf of residents
NHS England has released guides to support best practice for care homes, GP practices and pharmacists to work together to allow care home staff to order online repeat medication on behalf of residents. Some of these resources are below or a complete list can be found here. Please note care homes must have a secure email system and a GDPR data sharing agreement with the practice.
CQC
NICE Guidelines
Reducing medicines waste
Vitamin D supplements
Public Health England (PHE) recommends that people who live in a care home should take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D throughout the whole year as they will not get enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have little or no sunshine exposure.
Vitamin D 10 microgram supplements are considered food supplements, not prescribed medicines. CQC expects care homes to support people’s full nutritional needs – this includes purchasing and providing supplementation with vitamin D throughout the year as recommended by PHE.
Vitamin D 10 microgram supplements are widely available in retail outlets such as supermarkets, pharmacies and health food shops – they should not be prescribed.
If advice is required regarding suitable products – care homes may wish to discuss with their community pharmacy.
Care homes should make sure they have a policy to support people to take vitamin D supplements and to record the administration of vitamin D supplements in the most appropriate way for their home e.g. MAR chart, daily notes, nutrition or dietary records.
Further information can be found below: