SUMMARY - Safe Medications Management project: Key issues and ...

Regulation 31I (2) refers to a “designated nurse for a ward of a health service for a particular shift,not the registered nurse in charge of the ward”Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (South Australia) Act 2010 a healthpractitioner practises a health profession/registered health practitioner registered under this Law.2.1.2.6. TasmaniaThe Tasmania Poisons Act 1971 effective (01/01/11) provides for the Minister to authorise aregistered nurse to possess and supply restricted or narcotic substances and for the Secretary toauthorise a nurse practitioner to sell, be in possession of or supply restricted and narcoticsubstances. The Governor can also make regulations for the control, supply, prescription,possession of narcotic substances regulating the issue by medical practitioners and authorisednurse practitionersThere is also reference to an “authorised nurse practitioner” and a “nurse practitioner” in Part 1 s3of the Act with reference to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Tasmania). A Medicalpractitioner is also referred to as one who must be present in Tasmania.The Act defines supply to include administering and dispensing and medical practitioners,pharmaceutical chemist and authorised nurse practitioner are permitted to sell or supply “in thelawful practice of his or her profession or business”.The Poisons Regulations 2008 effective (01/01/09) Part 1 s3 refers to a health professional as amedical practitioner, a registered nurse, an authorised nurse practitioner, a pharmaceuticalchemist. It also refers to an authorised nurse as one who holds a nursing authority. A medicalinstitution also includes the provision of accommodation for persons who are aged.Under Part 6 s95 EA there is reference to the administration of certain substances by aged careworkers in residential care services under the general supervision or direction of a registerednurse but they also have to have “met the requirements of relevant nationally accredited trainingmodules relating to the administration and storage of medication and maintain any competencyrequirements of those modules and acting in accordance with guidelines approved by theSecretary”. To support this regulation there is a set of “Guidelines for the administration ofcertain substances by aged care workers in residential aged care services” approved by theSecretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and effective from September 2010. Itdetails the roles for the approved provider, aged care worker, and registered and enrolled nurses.There is also a similar regulation with respect to aged care workers in community care.Carers are referred to in Part 6 s95G as able to administer or make available for selfadministration,medicinal poison, restricted substance, and narcotic substance under a range ofconditions.Part 3 of the Regulations identifies what a medical practitioner, authorised nurse practitioner andauthorised nurse may not do regarding supply or prescribing. In Part 4 s61 a registered nurse maypossess and administer without instructions from a medical practitioner if attending an emergencyin a remote area but has to have undergone an educational program approved by the Nursing andMidwifery Board of Australia and been endorsed by the same Board. Reference is also made to theMinister granting authority to registered nurses in certain circumstances and in Part 4 s60 anenrolled nurse may administer certain substances listed in Schedule 2,3,4,8 if acting with thewritten authority of a medical practitioner or authorised nurse practitioner.15