Medicines management for nurses: explaining legal governance

There are multiple acts of law and case law that govern UK prescribing practice. This article looks at three aspects in particular: the classification and prescribing of controlled drugs, including the meaning of medicine classes and schedules and which healthcare professionals the law permits to prescribe; the prescribing of unlicensed medicines, including the difference between unlicensed and off-license medicines; and negligence in prescribing practice. The acts of law that are relevant to each topic are outlined and examples of significant case law or other legal rulings are provided to demonstrate how the law is relevant to nurses’ clinical practice.