Medicines Guidelines
The Medicines Act 1968:
• Governs the control of medicines including the manufacture and supply
• Sections medicines into 3 categories - Prescription-Only Medications, Pharmacy
Medications and General Sales List
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (2016):
• Replaces most of The Medicines Act 1968
• Regulates how prescriptions must be written in order for them to be legible
- Written in ink
- Signature
- Date
- Name and address of person receiving the medication
- Age if person is under 12
• If electronic prescription—all of above must still be met apart from it being written in
ink
• Also regulates the types of exemptions for nurses and midwives and what must be in
place for them to exist - Schedule 17 allows registered midwives to administer the
following prescription only medicines: Student midwives can administer
Any medicine containing:
- Diamorphine - Adrenaline
- Morphine - Anti-D
- Pethidine Hydrochloride - Carboprost
- Diclofenac - Cyclizine
- Hydrocortisone Acetate - Ergometrine
- Nystatin - Hartmann’s solution
- Phytomenadione - Hep B Vaccine
- Miconazole - Lidocaine Hydrochloride
- Naloxone
- Oxytocics
- Sodium Chloride 0.9%
- Prochlorperazine -
The Medicines Act 1968:
• Governs the control of medicines including the manufacture and supply
• Sections medicines into 3 categories - Prescription-Only Medications, Pharmacy
Medications and General Sales List
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (2016):
• Replaces most of The Medicines Act 1968
• Regulates how prescriptions must be written in order for them to be legible
- Written in ink
- Signature
- Date
- Name and address of person receiving the medication
- Age if person is under 12
• If electronic prescription—all of above must still be met apart from it being written in
ink
• Also regulates the types of exemptions for nurses and midwives and what must be in
place for them to exist - Schedule 17 allows registered midwives to administer the
following prescription only medicines: Student midwives can administer
Any medicine containing:
- Diamorphine - Adrenaline
- Morphine - Anti-D
- Pethidine Hydrochloride - Carboprost
- Diclofenac - Cyclizine
- Hydrocortisone Acetate - Ergometrine
- Nystatin - Hartmann’s solution
- Phytomenadione - Hep B Vaccine
- Miconazole - Lidocaine Hydrochloride
- Naloxone
- Oxytocics
- Sodium Chloride 0.9%
- Prochlorperazine -
