The accountable officer

The accountable officer

The Health Act 2006 requires all healthcare organisations, which are described as ‘controlled drug designated bodies’, to appoint an accountable officer. This includes NHS organisations, including primary care trusts and foundation trusts, as well as independent hospitals that are registered with the Care Quality Commission under relevant service user categories.

Accountable officers must be senior executives in the organisation with professional credibility and sufficient seniority to enable them to take action regardless of how a concern about CDs is raised. They should not be per-sonally involved in the routine prescribing, supply, administration or disposal of CDs. Hospital accountable officers are most frequently a chief pharmacist, chief nurse or medical director.

The accountable officer in each healthcare and social care organisation must ensure the safe management of CDs at a local level. There are a number of specific aspects they have to oversee in order to do this: