Commentary on Sections Part 3Chapter 1 .Supervision of Management and Use of Controlled Drugs
110.Part 3 of the Act contains provisions intended to strengthen the arrangements for the safe management of controlled drugs in health and social care settings. It provides the legislative underpinning to the programme of action set out in Safer management of controlled drugs, the government’s response to the Fourth Report of the Shipman Inquiry. The key elements are:
	all NHS healthcare organisations, and larger private healthcare organisations such as independent hospitals, will be required to nominate an officer of sufficient seniority – an “accountable officer” – to ensure that the organisation has robust arrangements for the safe and effective handling of controlled drugs. In NHS primary care, primary care organisations will exercise this responsibility on behalf of all the contractors with which they have contracted to provide services;
	a duty of collaboration will be placed on healthcare organisations, and on other local and national agencies such as professional regulatory bodies, police forces, the Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection, requiring them to share intelligence on controlled drugs issues and to coordinate the action they take to protect patients and the public
	police officers, accountable officers and their staff and other authorised persons will have a right of entry and inspection into the premises of relevant healthcare providers to enable them to discharge these responsibilities. The power of entry will not necessarily be exercisable by all accountable officers.
111.The relevant authority regarding the regulation making powers within this Chapter are the Secretary of State in respect of England and Scotland, the National Assembly for Wales in respect of Wales and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in respect of Northern Ireland.