A number of organisations are involved in ensuring quality in the care home environment. These include:

• The Care Quality Commission – the independent body that regulates and inspects all health and social care services in England, checking that services provide good, safe care
• Local authorities – involvement in care homes will include social services, contract monitoring and safeguarding. There is a responsibility to see that public money is being spent wisely in finding care home places for people entitled to funding
• NICE – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued guidance SC1: Medicines management in care homes, in March 2014. As a provider of medicines to care homes, it is important to be familiar with this document.

Practice points

• Speak to your local care home staff and other pharmacy teams who support care homes in other locations to find out how your services, roles and responsibilities might differ
• Do you know what your local safeguarding arrangements are in relation to care homes?