Nurses have historically been involved with medication management, mainly dispensing and administration, particularly in hospitals. Recently, they have taken on a more active role by embracing new ways of working, including nurse prescribing. There has been a great shift towards patients being more involved in their own healthcare, particularly in the case of chronic health problems. However, there is much debate about the validity and safety of nurse prescribing, especially in mental health nursing. There is increasing concern, in the UK, that many prescribed medicines are either returned to pharmacies without being taken, not taken per the stated regimen, or not taken by the person to whom they were prescribed.