Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Anabolic steroids
- Prescription medicines, related to testosterone, that are sometimes misused to build muscle and are controlled under the law.
- Authorised witness
- A person formally allowed to watch and confirm the safe destruction of stock controlled drugs.
- Benzodiazepines
- A group of sedative medicines (for example diazepam) used for anxiety or sleep, controlled because they can be misused.
- Buprenorphine
- A strong opioid painkiller, also used to treat opioid dependence, that is a controlled drug.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- CD register
- The official record of every receipt, supply, use and destruction of Schedule 2 controlled drugs, kept with a running total of stock.
- Cold chain
- Keeping vaccines and certain medicines within a safe temperature range from delivery to use.
- Contemporaneous
- Written down at the time the event happens, rather than from memory later.
- Controlled drug (CD)
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO)
- The senior officer, usually in the Integrated Care Board, responsible for overseeing the safe use and management of controlled drugs across a local area.
- Denaturing
- Making a controlled drug permanently unusable before disposal, usually with a special denaturing kit, so it cannot be recovered or misused.
- Diamorphine
- A very strong opioid painkiller (medical heroin), used mainly in palliative care, that is a controlled drug.
- Dispensing practice
- A GP practice that is allowed to supply medicines directly to its patients rather than sending them to a separate pharmacy.
- Diversion
- The deliberate redirection of medicines away from their lawful use, for example theft for personal use or illegal sale.
- Doctor's bag
- The case of medicines and equipment a doctor carries for visits and emergencies away from the practice.
- Fentanyl
- A very strong synthetic opioid painkiller, available as patches or injections, that is a controlled drug.
- FP10PCD
- The official form used in England to write a private prescription for a controlled drug.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards of safety and quality that registered care providers must meet.
- Home Office
- The UK government department responsible for drugs policy, including licences for the most restricted substances.
- Instalment prescription
- A prescription that authorises a medicine to be supplied in agreed smaller amounts over set intervals rather than all at once.
- Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- The local body that plans and arranges publicly funded health services for an area.
- Methylphenidate
- A stimulant medicine used mainly for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that is a controlled drug.
- Midazolam
- A fast-acting sedative medicine, used in emergencies and palliative care, that is a controlled drug.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- The main UK law that classifies controlled drugs and makes their unlawful possession or supply a criminal offence.
- Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973
- The law setting the storage and security standards, such as an approved locked cabinet, for keeping controlled drugs safe.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The regulations that set out, by schedule, how each controlled drug may lawfully be prescribed, stored, recorded and destroyed.
- Morphine
- A strong opioid painkiller, widely used in pain relief and palliative care, that is a controlled drug.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The national body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and good practice in health and care.
- Non-medical prescriber
- A trained health professional who is not a doctor, such as a nurse or pharmacist, who is qualified to prescribe medicines.
- Oxycodone
- A strong opioid painkiller that is a controlled drug.
- Palliative care
- Care that focuses on comfort, symptom relief and quality of life for people with a serious or terminal illness.
- Pethidine
- An opioid painkiller, sometimes used in labour, that is a controlled drug.
- Pregabalin
- A medicine used for nerve pain, epilepsy and anxiety that is a controlled drug because it can be misused.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Quarantine (stock)
- Setting suspect or unmatched stock aside, clearly separated, so it cannot be used until the issue is resolved.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Requisition
- A formal written order used to obtain controlled drug stock from a supplier.
- Running balance
- The continuously updated total of how much of a controlled drug should be in stock, used to check against the physical count.
- Schedule (controlled drugs)
- One of five legal categories that group controlled drugs by how strictly they must be prescribed, stored and recorded.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task must be carried out consistently and safely.
- Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- The manufacturer's official document describing how a medicine should be used, stored and handled.
- Temazepam
- A sedative medicine used for short-term sleep problems that is a controlled drug.
- Tramadol
- An opioid painkiller that is a controlled drug.
- Z-drugs
- Sleeping tablets (for example zopiclone and zolpidem) that work like benzodiazepines and are controlled.