5 things you should know about Controlled Drugs onboard your ship

The regulations pertaining to the carriage of Controlled Drugs on board are not always understood by vessels. Usually because they are not familiar with how it is done and are just trying to interpret the regulations the best they can. 

Controlled drugs are recommended for Category A, B and C medical kits and it’s easy to become a bit blasé about what they are and how they should be stored and used.

This quick guide should give you some pointers to help stay within the law:

1.  The term ‘controlled drug’ is defined by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 ("the Act") as ‘any substance or product for the time being specified in Part I, II or III of Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971’. Controlled drugs are subject to strict legal controls and legislation determines how they are prescribed, supplied, stored and destroyed. Controlled drugs are managed and used in a variety of settings by health and social care practitioners and by people who are prescribed them to manage their condition(s). Controlled drugs are closely regulated as they are susceptible to being misused or diverted and can cause harm. To ensure they are managed and used safely, legal frameworks for governing their use have been established.*

2.  There is a legal requirement for those drugs to be properly accounted for in a log. The preference is a hardback, bound book.

3.  Each drug should have its own page. This is so you have space to sign off your checks and controls as well as registering who you have given them to or if you have disposed of them as damaged or expired.

4.  You must be familiar with the flag state requirements for the carriage of Controlled Drugs. The MCA guide MSN1905 - Ships Medical Stores covers the requirements for UK flagged vessels.

5.  They MUST be locked in a cabinet that is secured to the bulkhead. That cabinet must be within another locked cabinet that requires access using a different key. Access must be restricted in accordance with Flag state instructions.

In case you’re wondering, the rules on storing and using controlled drugs are the same in every UK environment, whether they’re being used by ambulance paramedics, event medical staff, District Nurses, pharmacists, search and rescue, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. 

If you’d like to check out the full details, please follow this link to MSN 1905 for the most up to date information.

Some other useful resources found in the Ship Captain’s Medical Guide are:

• Page 296 - Appendix VII Medicines Guide.

• Page 326 (inside back cover) - Pain relief ladder.

*National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Controlled drugs: safe use and management