The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) stress that their respective registrants must act in their patients' best interests if they decide to use covert administration of medicines.

The RCP recommends administering treatment in the least restrictive fashion and, along with the RPS, stresses that NHS trusts and organisations should develop and use covert administration policies.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance 'Managing medicines in care homes (SC1)' is clear in stating the following:

• Health and social care practitioners should not administer medicines to residents without their knowledge if the resident has capacity to make decisions about their treatment
• Practitioners should ensure that covert administration only takes place within existing legal and good practice frameworks, thus protecting both residents and staff members
• Practitioners should ensure that covert administration processes include: mental capacity assessments; multidisciplinary best interests meetings including a pharmacist; proper documentation of the reasons for suspecting impaired capacity and the proposed management plan; outlining how medicines will be administered covertly; and regularly reviewing whether covert administration is still required
• Care home service providers and commissioners should consider establishing shared covert administration policies across multiple health and social care organisations.