Discussions around what constitutes NHS healthcare and what constitutes social care can be traced back to the original post-war legislation that separated responsibilities for health (the NHS Act 1946) and (the National Assistance Act 1948). This statutory separation has been maintained ever since and in many ways it is artificial and not helpful to the person in need of care. Integration is regarded as the way forward.
However, as we rush to align, co-locate or integrate, local authorities need to consider the issue of administration of medication by social care staff in the context of local authority-commissioned care for people in their own homes…