Background Increasing numbers of older people are receiving support with medicines management from community nursing services (CNSs) to enable them to live in their own homes. Little is known about these people and the support they receive. Objectives To explore the characteristics of older people referred for medicines management support, type of support provided, medication errors and adverse medication events (AMEs). Methods A retrospective observational study of a random sample of 100 older people referred to a large non-profit CNS for medicines management support over a 3-month period was conducted. Measures were: demographics