Administration (Or Use) by an Authorised Registered Nurse

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Administration (or use) by an authorised registered nurse

20.1 Indicate if the permit holder engages or intends to engage authorised registered nurses to administer Schedule 2, Schedule 3, Schedule 4 or Schedule 8 poisons:

• The health service engages authorised registered nurses/intends to engage authorised registered nurses within the next (insert number) months.
• The health service will enable authorised registered nurses to administer Schedule (insert schedule) poisons when acting within the capacity of their scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement.
• The authorised registered nurses are only to administer Schedule (insert schedule)medications to unplanned patients attending for care when a registered medical practitioner or nurse practitioner is absent.

20.2If the permit holder engages or intends to engage authorised registered nurses to administer approved Schedule 2, Schedule 3, Schedule 4 or Schedule 8 poisons, what procedures are in place to ensure that those nurses administer only the approved medicines and only in accordance with the approved clinical circumstances:

• The health service has compiled standard operating procedures to define the circumstances when nurses may act within the capacity of their scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement.
• The (insert position) is responsible for keeping the standard operating procedures up to date.
• The authorised registered nurses receive in-house/other training on which Schedule (insert schedule)poisons are available to them for administration under the clinical circumstances identified in edition 7 of the Queensland Health Primary Clinical Care Manual.
• The (insert position) is responsible for keeping the reference copy of the Queensland Health Primary Clinical Care Manual up to date as amendments are received.
• The health service has a dedicated lockable storage facility located in (insert location) that contains those Schedule (insert schedule) medications specifically for access by the authorised registered nurses.
• The authorised registered nurses are to include a record of administration to a particular patient in the patient record.
• Details of use are to be recorded in a document (central register) designed to record usage of medicines under the schedule medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement and which is able to provide an audit trail for use of the approved medicines.

Supply of medications by authorised registered nurses

21.1 Indicate under what circumstances authorised registered nurses may be required to supply medications to patients:

• The health service has determined that nurses with the scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement may supply medications to unplanned patients attending for care when a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner is absent.
• The nurses with the scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement are only authorised to supply the approved Schedule (insert schedule)medicines in the clinical circumstances defined in edition 7 of the Queensland Health Primary Clinical Care Manual.
• The authorised registered nurses receive in-house/other training on which Schedule (insert schedule) poisons are available to them for supply under the clinical circumstances identified in edition 7 of the Queensland Health Primary Clinical Care Manual.

21.2 Indicate how such medications are to be labelled and packaged:

• Starter packs are to be prepared by the pharmacy department. The packs are to consist of resealable phials/containers with pre-printed labels that provide spaces for the authorised registered nurses to insert relevant directions, patient details and date.
• Authorised registered nurses are to have access to resealable phials/containers and self-adhesive labels, which they may use to supply allowable quantities as defined by edition 7 of the Queensland Health Primary Clinical Care Manual.

21.3 Indicate what records are to be made in relation to medication supplied by an authorised registered nurse:

• Details of the supply of starter packs/allowable quantitiesare to be recorded on record sheets that have been specifically designed for the purpose.
• Details of the supply of starter packs/allowable quantities are to be recorded within the patient record.
• Details of supply are to be recorded in a document (central register) designed to record usage of medicines assigned for supply under the schedule medicines (rural and isolated practice) endorsement and which is able to provide an audit trail for supply of the approved medicines.

Supply to members of staff

22.1 Indicate what steps are to be taken to ensure that authorised registered nurses do not supply staff with scheduledpoisons in a manner that is contrary to the legislation:

• There is to be no provision for staff to purchase or obtain scheduled medications from the establishment through the authorised registered nurses, unless the staff member is taken to have made an unplanned presentation to the health service for care.

Note Parts Two through Six of the Poisons Control Plan are applicable only to permits that relate to those specific activities of each permit holder (or applicant) and may otherwise be discarded.

Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne. To receive this publication in an accessible format phone 1300 364 545 Drugs and Poisons Regulation.

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