What should be checked?
The audit should be practical and linked to service risk.
- Medication administration records and missing signatures.
- Ordering, receipt, storage and disposal records.
- Controlled drugs procedures where relevant.
- PRN protocols and topical medication records.
- Covert administration and capacity-related records where relevant.
- Medication errors, themes and learning actions.
- Staff training, competency and supervision.
- Medication review evidence for care homes where applicable.
How often should medication audits happen?
Frequency should reflect the service type, volume of medicines activity, previous errors and risk. A nursing home or residential care home administering medicines daily will usually need more structured medicines governance than a service that only prompts people to take medicines.
How should findings be followed up?
Medication audit findings should be actioned quickly, especially where there is a risk of harm. Repeat findings should be escalated into governance review rather than left as isolated audit notes.
Practical next step
Check whether your medication audit separates one-off record issues from recurring practice themes, then make sure actions are reviewed by a manager.
Sources to review
Regulatory guidance changes. Use these sources as review points before treating this guide as policy or legal advice.