Guidelines for young carers under 18 collecting medication
If you are a young carer collecting medication on behalf of somebody you care for, you may be refused, or have been refused collection in the past. This is not to try and make your life difficult, or to be taken personally.
There is no policy in place for young carers collecting medication. Dispensers treat each arrangement on a case-by-case basis, using their best judgment in the situation they are presented with. There are some things you and the person you are caring for can do to help ensure you can collect medication on behalf of another person:
- See it from the dispenser’s/pharmacist’s point of view: As with all healthcare professionals, they have a duty to protect you as a minor. If anything indicates that giving you the medication could put you at risk, even if that is something that is out of your control, they will not do it. For example, if you enter the pharmacy and there is a group of people waiting outside, the pharmacist may be worried about the possibility of them taking those meds from you and harming you in the process.
- Consider the timing of your visit: If you show up to collect medication on a Monday morning at 8:30 am – there is a likelihood that you will be on your way to school or college, meaning the meds will be in your bag all day. Again, this could put you in danger and affect the efficacy of the medication.
- Prepare: The person you are caring for should speak to the pharmacist and name you on their patient records. You may be registered as their carer at the GP surgery, but this is not always carried through to individual pharmacies. This does not have to be done every time medication is collected by you, but they should update records if they change pharmacy. If a person other than you is collecting the medication – ask them to phone ahead and speak to the pharmacist to let them know. Communication is key.
- Consider a delivery service: This is not a failsafe way to ensure that medication will always be able to be handed to you, as the same safeguarding concerns will apply, but it can help eliminate some of the scenarios presented above.
Naomi shares her experience of growing up as a young carer
I began caring for my mum unknowingly around 5/6 years old. She has had a spinal deformity since she was born, but as the years have gone by it's taken its toll on her mobility, and she has spent a lot of time in hospital and then in recovery at home.
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