Medicines management for nurses: explaining legal governance.

There are multiple acts of law and case law that govern UK prescribing practice. This article examines three important topics for nurses: the classification and prescribing of controlled drugs, including the meaning of medicine classes and schedules; the prescribing of unlicensed medicines, including the difference between unlicensed and off-license medicines; and negligence in prescribing practice. The article outlines the acts of law that are relevant to each topic and provides examples of significant case law or other legal rulings to demonstrate how the law is relevant to nurses' clinical practice.