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Health carers often take over the medication care of in‐patients with diabetes and mess up their blood sugars by not being able to deliver their insulin and other medications at the correct times. Patients with Parkinson's disease also have strict regimes and we may again fail to deliver their medications on time, with profound effects on their independence and wellbeing. Many hospitals now have secure boxes at the bedside for patients to store their medication and allow them to self‐medicate.

Table 1.3 Seven key actions to improve medication safety.

Source: Department of Health (2007).

Increase reporting	Increase reporting and identify actions against local risks by way of an annual medication report: clinical risk.
Implement NPSA safer medication practice recommendations	Implement NPSA recommendations – audit safer medication practice – includes alerts on anticoagulants, injectable medications, and wrong‐route errors.
Improve staff skills and competencies	Improve skills: preceptorship competencies will help nurses to work towards the required level of competence.
Minimise dosing errors	Minimise errors: information, training, and tools to make calculations easier.
Ensure medicines are not omitted	It also can be linked with neglect when medications are not given. The NPSA reviews medicine storage and medication supply chains.
Ensure medicines are given to the correct patient	Ensure correct medications with correct patient – improve packaging and labelling of medicines – support local systems that make it harder for staff to select the wrong medicine.
Document patient's medicine allergy status	Document: improve recording of patient's allergy status.

Remember that not all patients have the ability to do this; for example, patients with dementia or those too ill to administer their own medication. But please remember, patients with dementia may have windows of opportunity whereby they can self‐medicate. As with all health care, this aspect of their care must be monitored frequently. Many patients in the community have their medication distributed by their pharmacist into ‘dosset’ boxes, boxes that have timed sections or partitioned by morning, afternoon, or evening, in order for them to take their medication.