What do I need to keep in my emergency drugs cabinet?

The principle: a baseline plus your own risk assessment

As a GP you would be expected to manage the same emergencies as an NHS practice, so the NHS practice kit is the right starting point. The CQC's guidance for GP practices, updated in February 2026, lists suggested emergency medicines and says the list is neither exhaustive nor mandatory. What it does expect is that you can show how you considered the risks and your local context, including the reasons for leaving out or substituting any medicine on the list, and that you keep this under review.

So the answer depends on your services. A clinic that gives vaccines, fits coils or does minor surgery needs more than a consultation-only service. A remote-only service needs a plan for emergencies during video consultations rather than a drugs cabinet.

This article summarises the national guidance. Always check the current CQC and Resuscitation Council UK documents, the BNF and each product's summary of product characteristics before you buy or use anything.

The CQC's suggested emergency medicines

Medicine	Use listed by the CQC	Note
Adrenaline 1 in 1,000 for injection	Anaphylaxis, acute angio-oedema	Must be stocked where vaccines are given
An antiemetic, such as cyclizine or ondansetron	Nausea or vomiting
Aspirin, soluble	Suspected myocardial infarction
Atropine	Bradycardia or vasovagal syncope	Must be stocked where coils are fitted or removed, or minor surgery is done
Benzylpenicillin for injection	Suspected bacterial meningitis
Dexamethasone oral solution or prednisolone	Croup in children	Short shelf life once opened
Diclofenac for intramuscular injection	Analgesia
Glucagon and/or glucose gel	Hypoglycaemia	Shorter expiry if not refrigerated
Glyceryl trinitrate spray or tablets	Chest pain of possible cardiac origin	Keep tablets unopened
Ipratropium and salbutamol	Asthma, and salbutamol for COPD	Nebules with nebuliser, or inhaler with spacer
Buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam	Seizures	Controlled drug rules apply
Naloxone	Opioid overdose	Must be stocked where opiates are given, including from a doctor's bag
Prednisolone or methylprednisolone	Asthma
Opiates, optional	Severe pain, including myocardial infarction	Record the decision if you don't stock them

The CQC list also includes a sharps box, enough syringes and needles for any ampoules, and water for injection. Your service may need more, for example if you see patients with particular conditions.

Anaphylaxis where you give vaccines

If you give any injections or vaccines, an anaphylaxis pack must be immediately available in every room where you give them, not locked away. The CQC, citing Resuscitation Council UK, says it should contain at least two ampoules of adrenaline 1mg/mL (1 in 1,000), four 23G needles with four graduated 1mL syringes, and an oxygen supply with masks for adults and children.

The CQC advises using ampoules and a needle and syringe rather than auto-injectors, because auto-injectors deliver at most 300 micrograms and older children and adults need 500 micrograms. An auto-injector can be used for the first dose if speed matters. Follow the current Resuscitation Council UK anaphylaxis guidance for treatment. See ordering private immunisations.

Resuscitation equipment

Resuscitation Council UK's minimum for primary care, as summarised by the CQC, is:

• an automated external defibrillator (AED), preferably with paediatric capability, and adhesive pads plus a spare set
• an oxygen cylinder, with a key and tubing where needed
• an adult pocket mask with an oxygen port
• gloves, aprons and eye protection
• a razor, an absorbent towel and a stethoscope.

A blood glucose meter is also recommended. If you or your staff have enhanced skills, or your patients are at higher risk, add portable suction, oropharyngeal airways, self-inflating bags and face masks in a range of sizes. You also need a pulse oximeter wherever you use emergency oxygen, and the equipment to calculate a NEWS score. See equipment for private GPs.

Storage

• Keep emergency medicines readily accessible, ideally in a tamper-evident box marked "for emergency use". Do not lock them away, unless a medicine has its own safe custody requirement.
• Do not keep resuscitation equipment in a locked room, and avoid keeping it in a consulting room if that would mean interrupting a consultation to get it.
• Store oxygen cylinders in a ventilated, clean, dry place away from sunlight and ignition sources, secure larger cylinders, and use signage.
• Use the standard AED sign so people can find the defibrillator.

Checks and records

Name a resuscitation lead. Resuscitation Council UK says equipment and drugs must be checked by named people with cover for absence, at least weekly, following the manufacturer's instructions. Record each check, expiry dates and replacements. The CQC treats out-of-date equipment, such as expired defibrillator pads or needles, as seriously as out-of-date medicines.

Replace anything used straight away. If you register your AED on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, plan for it being taken out to a bystander and for replacing pads after use.

Training

The CQC says clinical staff should have resuscitation training at least once a year, and non-clinical staff generally should too, unless a local risk assessment allows longer. Everyone must be able to recognise cardiorespiratory arrest, summon help and start chest compressions, and all clinical staff must be able to use an AED. Keep training records.

Controlled drugs, home visits and shared premises

• Controlled drugs. If you stock Schedule 2 or 3 controlled drugs, such as morphine or midazolam, the CQC says you order them from a pharmacy on the standard requisition form, record every Schedule 2 movement in a CD register within 24 hours, and meet the safe custody rules where they apply. Midazolam is a Schedule 3 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, so it needs a requisition but no CD register entry. Holding midazolam or any other controlled drug as stock, even a single box, may mean your service needs a Home Office controlled drugs licence. The CQC names private primary care clinics among the services that may need one, and getting a licence takes at least six months because it involves a site visit. Check with the Home Office Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit before you order, and know how to contact your NHS England controlled drugs accountable officer.
• Home visits. What you carry depends on the patients you visit, how confident you are with each medicine, storage and shelf life, and how far you are from help.
• Shared premises and practising privileges. If you work in someone else's registered clinic or hospital, agree in writing whose kit you will use and who checks it.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The CQC guidance and the NHS England controlled drugs accountable officer arrangements apply in England. Resuscitation Council UK standards apply across the UK, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and RQIA will also expect you to manage medical emergencies safely. Check your regulator's guidance for any specific requirements.