For those clients who might lack the physical ability or mental capacity to manage their own medication, we put a MAR (Medication Adminstration Record) chart in place on our care management system and carefully administer and record the medication taken or not taken, based on the prescribing instruction set out on each medication pack label.

Our online care management system allows the carer to access the MAR on their smartphone while supporting a care client, this ensures that the MAR is up to date and that the recording of medication taken or not taken is immediately accessible by our office team.

These are the questions that our carers need to answer before administering:

• Right person – verifying that the prescription label matches the patient’s name and address
• Right medication – checking that the medication label matches that on the MAR chart
• Right dose – ensuring that the dose matches what is specified on the MAR chart
• Right route – confirming the right route i.e. oral or topical; injections or suppositories would be administered by a district nurse
• Right time – administering at the right time or within the acceptable time range
• Right documentation – ensuring that the record of what was taken is accurate
• Right response – monitor that the client’s response to taking the medication is not unexpected

We continuously check the documentation of what medication has and has not been taken and when medication needs to be re-ordered.

For many of our clients, we manage the whole process, including liaising with a client’s GP surgery to re-order and collect medication from the pharmacy.