To think this shouldn't be allowed at work

[Largepizza]

I am a senior care assistant in a care home and responsible for administering medication on the shift.
Admittedly we have a lot of medication to give out, 34 residents need it and it can be time consuming for one person.
Some of the other seniors ask the care staff (usually their mates) to hand out half of their tablets to save time.
Ok if it were another senior, but they're asking care assistants to hand out medication when they aren't trained to do so.
The seniors pop the medication but then will ask care assistants to go round distributing half of them.
Apparently the manager is ok with this too.
I do all mine on my own. I may be wrong but surely this can't be allowed?

No it shouldn't be allowed, where I work most the care assistants are meds trained.

Well they are breaking the cqc regulation around medication. The person administering must see the person taking the meds absolutely take it and sign the MAR chart afterwards.

Call CQC-you can do it anonymously and let them know if you are concerned.

The manager should be training you and signing you off as meds competent-with the aim of everyone on the team working towards that.

DP worked as a senior for years, and now trains carers. Every single instance of this is a medication error, and if reported to CQC the seniors would be fired on the spot. Likely the manager, and the care assistants handing out the medication too.

In your OP you say:-

"The seniors pop the medication but then will ask care assistants to go round distributing half of them"

I read this as the fact the seniors are checking the medication charts and dispensing the correct meds/doseages for each person.

So if all the care assistants are doing is physically taking the medication to the correct resident then I can't see an issue.

I'm assuming the care assistants know exactly who is to receive each lot of meds and there's no confusion that way.

Honestly, I can't see any problem with this method.

Sure, apart from the fact that - given that the care assistants don't have their medication certifications - it could get the care home shut down via CQC, and for good reason.

The setting is cheaping out on staff training (presumably because it costs less to employ somebody who's untrained), not employing enough seniors to do the job properly and putting residents at risk as a result.

@Largepizza - part of the problem is that your duty of care obliges you to report this to your manager, and (if nothing is done) CQC. That's a tough decision to make, given that it could cost you your job (knowing how petty care homes can be as a working environment). I don't envy you that.

Thanks for clarifying everyone

The problem is the meds administrator has to be 100% sure the person has taken the meds. They have to witness it before signing for it. People have been known to give the wrong meds to the wrong person in error, or the service user spits out out or whatever-and serous consequences can then occur. MAR charts are legal documents essentially-in other areas of life you wouldn't sign legally to say you had witnessed something when you hadn't because you'd be opening yourself up to risk. Same in this case.

As a care home manager of 20 years in various settings I've sacked people for this and I would again.

I work in a care setting in England and there was meds left over probably because someone didn't give them. The manager changed the meds sheet , the error went away as did the extra meds. Management and some staff are overly friendly and I'm very concerned . Other stuff has happened as well . What do I do ? I obviously don't want to be looking for another job but this along with other stuff that's happening is really making me depressed and I worry about the service user.

My mum is a senior.

No way would she do this!

The senior is responsible for ensuring correct meds are given and any errors would be on their head!