As part of the Scottish Government’s commission to enhance and develop the role of Healthcare Support Workers (HCSW), NHS Education for Scotland has worked with key stakeholders to develop a Framework for the Administration of Medicines by Career Level 3 and 4 Healthcare Support Workers in Scotland.
You will find information about:
Framework
The framework will support employers to consider the professional and legal aspects of medicines administration by healthcare support workers, (including vaccine administration) where this is becoming a core competency for the Level 3 and 4 workforce.
Publication of the Development and Education Framework for level 2-4 Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Healthcare Support Workers (HCSWs) in October 2022, supports the development of core knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the four pillars of practice. Medicines administration is specified as a core competency for Level 3 and 4 HCSWs.
The Framework for the Administration of Medicines by Level 3 and 4 HCSWs in Scotland sets out the national standards and legal frameworks to be followed in practice where HCSWs can administer medication, freeing capacity of the registered workforce to focus on providing more complex care and treatment interventions. Health boards are asked to review and familiarise themselves with the framework and make provisions for local governance and policy considerations.
Download the framework from the link below.
Supporting documents including FAQs are currently in development and will follow in due course.
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Framework for the administration of medicines by level 3 and level 4 Healthcare Support Workers in Scotland Download (801 KB)
(PDF) Framework for the administration of medicines by level 3 and level 4 Healthcare Support Workers in Scotland including Healthcare Support Worker Vaccinators, Senior Healthcare Support Workers, Maternity Care Assistants, Assistant Practitioners.
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Framework for the administration of medicines by level 3 and 4 Healthcare Support Workers in Scotland Download (2 MB)
(MS WORD) Framework for the administration of medicines by level 3 and level 4 Healthcare Support Workers in Scotland including Healthcare Support Worker Vaccinators, Senior Healthcare Support Workers, Maternity Care Assistants, Assistant...
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FAQs in relation to the Framework for the administration of medicines by level 3 and 4 HCSWs in Scotland
National education programme
Healthcare Support Workers are a vital part of our workforce, supporting the delivery of healthcare as part of the multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team. We value the care, treatment and support that nursing, midwifery and allied health professions HCSWs deliver every day to service users, clients and patients, under delegation and supervision of the registrant workforce.
To ensure that the care and treatment interventions provided by HCSWs are safe, clinically effective and of the highest quality, it remains our intent to continue to provide enabling and supportive guidance to HCSWs, as well as their employers, managers and supervisors, together with underpinning learning and development opportunities
NES have worked collaboratively with an education working group, comprising stakeholders from practice and academia, on the development of the adjunct national recommended education programme to support the administration of medicines framework. The Promoting Effective Medicines Administration Practice (PEMAP) programme can be accessed on Turas Learn.
Framework launch event
NES hosted an 'official launch’ event for the framework on 23 August 2023.
You can watch the recording of the event on Support Worker Central at https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/71112
NES hosted an 'official launch' event event for Promoting Effective Medicines Administration Practice (PEMAP) on 14 December 2023.
You can watch the recording of the event on Support Worker Central at https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/73095