The controlled drugs register

For clinics that keep controlled drugs - the strong, locked-away medicines like ketamine, methadone, morphine and buprenorphine.

It's called the Controlled drugs register in the sidebar. Same thing as the Schedule 8 register described here; the name just covers everything it tracks (Schedule 8 drugs and, kept separately, pentobarbital).

Switched on per clinic. If you don't see it in the sidebar, it hasn't been enabled yet.

The three rules that shape everything

1. A finalised entry can never be edited or deleted - only corrected. A controlled-drug register is meant to be tamper-evident, so you don't rub a mistake out, you record a new entry that cancels it. You can always fix a mistake, just not by erasing it.
2. Anyone can capture a movement; only a vet can finalise it. Nurses and reception record entries, a vet signs them into the permanent record.
3. Being signed in is your signature. Every entry is recorded under the account that made it, so never work under anyone else's login.

Where to go

What this is (and what it isn't)

Wattle's register is built to the standard a legal electronic drug register demands - every entry attributed to the person who made it, witnessed destructions, a tamper-evident ledger. There aren't different modes or strictness levels: everyone gets the full-strength register.

For now, keep your existing paper or electronic drug records as well. Wattle hasn't yet formally taken on the legal responsibility of being your official register - when that day comes it will be announced and this note will disappear. Until then, treat this as a rigorous assistant that keeps your numbers straight and saves you copying figures by hand.

Turning it on

Sidebar → Controlled drugs → Enable the S8 register. Before you switch it on, the page just explains what the feature does and offers that one button.

You can also do it from Settings → Controlled drugs → Capture controlled-drug entries, but the first time, use the page - it explains what you're turning on. Settings is really for adjusting it later.

The register looking empty straight afterwards is normal. You haven't recorded any stock yet - that's setting up.

How the register is signed

Being signed in is the signature. Every entry records the account that made it, permanently and alongside the entry itself, and every change is kept in the register's own audit log. That is what an electronic drug register is required to capture, and it is what an inspector reads.

• Opening the register asks for nothing. Click Controlled drugs and you are in.
• Processing entries (one or a queue of them), stock adjustments, destructions, transfers, stock checks and corrections all save without a second credential. Only a vet can do them, which is unchanged.
• What this means in practice: never work under someone else's login, and lock the screen when you step away (Avatar → Lock). An entry made on your account is your entry.
• The screen still locks after a period of inactivity, and your PIN unlocks it. See Your PIN & the lock screen. That lock is what stops an unattended computer being used to make entries in your name, so the clinic's choice of window matters - the shortest option, 15 minutes, is what the electronic-register standard asks for.
• Issuing an inspector pass still takes your PIN. It is the one place that does, because it hands a read-only link to someone outside the clinic. See Inspections.

Knowing the register hasn't been tampered with

A register is only trustworthy if you can prove it hasn't been quietly altered. Wattle checks this for you and reports the result on the Reports tab - you don't have to ask.

• All good (the usual): a quiet grey line reads "Register integrity verified - the finalised ledger is intact and unaltered." Everyday state, just reassurance.
• Something looks wrong (rare): a prominent red Register integrity check failed alert instead.

If you see the red alert, stop. Don't add, sign off or correct anything further, and contact support straight away. The alert points to where the problem was detected so it can be investigated.

You may briefly see "Checking register integrity…" while it loads, or "Could not verify register integrity right now." if the check couldn't run - the latter isn't a failure, just try again in a moment.

Who can do what

Roles aren't a wall, just sensible defaults. A missing button usually means your role doesn't include that action - it's hidden rather than erroring.

Related

The catalogue & prices · The audit log · Your team & permissions · Your PIN