Giving medicines covertly

A quick guide for care home managers and home care managers providing medicines support

Published July 2019

Adults should not be given medicines covertly unless they have been assessed as lacking the mental capacity to make decisions about their health or medicines. This quick guide will help care home and home care managers to ensure that decisions about giving medicines covertly are made in the person’s best interests. It covers:

• Capacity and consent
• Making a decision to give medicines covertly
• Urgent decisions
• Involving others