| Preparation of medicines for care homes |
Added value, Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Leadership, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance, Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
1.1, 4.2, 4.3 |
A clearly defined and systematic approach is taken to the preparation of medicines for care homes with care staff provided with training and advice to manage medicines administration safely. |
Details
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| Easily accessible pharmacy services for older people |
Added value, Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Innovation, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.1 |
The pharmacy team has a good level of awareness of the difficulties that some elderly patients face in accessing pharmacy services and other health services and it makes appropriate adjustments to meet the access needs of such patients. |
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| Safeguarding |
Customer and patient focus, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.8 |
The pharmacy team take a proactive approach in supporting potentially vulnerable patients, as part of a multidisciplinary working arrangement. |
Details
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| Safeguarding vulnerable individuals |
Customer and patient focus, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.8 |
Safeguarding vulnerable individuals is embedded in pharmacy services. |
Details
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| Safe supply of medication |
Customer and patient focus, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.3 |
Systems are in place and are widely used to ensure that patients understand their medicines and they are provided in a formulation appropriate for their needs. |
Details
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| Patient confidentiality, privacy and dignity. |
Customer and patient focus, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.7 |
The pharmacy takes patient confidentiality seriously and ensures that their privacy is protected when handing out medicines and providing counselling. This is supported by the layout and design of the pharmacy. |
Details
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| Monitoring of medication to ensure it is safe to use |
Added value, Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.3 |
Robust procedures are in place for date checking of medicines and handling of short-dated controlled drugs (CDs) to prevent unsafe medicines being dispensed. |
Details
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| Responsiveness to patient feedback |
Added value, Customer and patient focus, Governance, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.4 |
Patients using the pharmacy are provided with opportunities to raise concerns or provide feedback which is used to improve the quality of services offered. |
Details
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| A culture of continuous learning. |
Added value, Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.2 |
Systematic monitoring and review mechanisms are in place, including checking compliance against GPhC pharmacy standards, demonstrating a culture of continuous learning. |
Details
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| Accessible pharmacy services |
Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.1 |
Facilities to enable patients who may experience difficulty accessing pharmacy services, such as those with visual impairment, are utilised to allow improved access to services. |
Details
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| Staff responsive to patient feedback. |
Customer and patient focus, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.4 |
Opportunities to give feedback or raise concerns are highly visible, well publicised and encouraged, and the pharmacy can show that it has made improvement to pharmacy services following feedback leading to positive outcomes for patients. |
Details
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| Effective use of signposting |
Customer and patient focus, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.1 |
The pharmacy has comprehensive signposting resources and pharmacy staff are trained to use these to ensure patients, including those with English as a second language, are referred on where appropriate to other service providers to ensure effective care. |
Details
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| Patients’ feedback about their experience of pharmacy’s services not acted upon. |
Customer and patient focus, Governance, Lack of key knowledge and a failure to learn, Leadership, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.4, 1.7, 1.8 |
The pharmacy does not respond appropriately to feedback from people. |
Details
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| Insufficient staffing level |
Customer and patient focus, Governance, Lack of key knowledge and a failure to learn, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance, Principle 2. Staff, Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
1.2, 2.1, 4.3 |
The level of trained staff is inadequate for the safe operation of pharmacy services. This is leading to a chaotic working environment, routine training and date checking not taking place and long delays for patients awaiting their medication. |
Details
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| Accessibility of pharmacy services for patients with physical and sensory impairment. |
Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Outcomes for patients, Proactive approach, Responsiveness |
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
4.1 |
Services provided are aligned to the needs of the local community, taking into account the demographics, and ease of access to the pharmacy. |
Details
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| Patient engagement to drive improvements in pharmacy services |
Customer and patient focus, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance, Principle 3. Premises |
1.4, 3.2, 3.5 |
Patient feedback informs the design and layout of the pharmacy. |
Details
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| Weaknesses in monitoring and review mechanisms and an absence of key standard operating procedures. |
Customer and patient focus, Efficiency of processes, Governance, Lack of key knowledge and a failure to learn, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance, Principle 4. Services, including medicines management |
1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 4.2, 4.4 |
The pharmacy’s governance arrangements are unclear. The pharmacy’s Standard Operating Procedures do not cover all aspects of service provision, so staff were not clear what is expected of them. This was particularly the case in respect of dealing with incidents and near misses, sale of medicines, safeguarding and protecting patient confidentiality. |
Details
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| Insufficient staffing level and weaknesses in monitoring and review mechanisms |
Customer and patient focus, Governance, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance, Principle 2. Staff, Principle 3. Premises, Principle 4. Services, including medicines management, Principle 5. Equipment and facilities |
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.2, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.3 |
There are poor governance procedures in place and an insufficient level of staff for the services provided. Overall, there is inadequate assurance that risks are identified and managed and that procedures are reviewed and monitored. Stock is haphazardly and unsafely stored. Schedule 2 controlled drugs are delivered against faxed prescriptions with no assurance that these have not also been supplied by local pharmacy. There are insufficient employed staff to safely provide the services offered by the pharmacy. Many of the staff are newly employed, unsure of their responsibilities and unable to make professional judgements. The trainees are not supported with their learning and there is no overall culture of learning at the pharmacy. Record-keeping is poor and some staff do not understand safeguarding issues. Patient-sensitive information is not kept securely. Some areas are in need of routine maintenance and repair and the temperature in parts of the dispensary is too high for the safe storage of medicines. |
Details
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| Patients’ feedback about their experience of pharmacy’s services not acted upon and patient confidentiality, privacy and dignity not protected |
Customer and patient focus, Governance, Lack of key knowledge and a failure to learn, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 1. Governance |
1.4 |
The pharmacy is not receptive to customer feedback about the services it provides and there is no information advising customers how to give feedback or make a complaint. |
Details
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| A learning culture |
Customer and patient focus, Governance, Leadership, Outcomes for patients, Responsiveness |
Principle 2. Staff |
2.4, 2.5, 2.6 |
Staff worked effectively together and were supportive of one another. There was a clear ability to raise concerns and suggestions. Pharmacy staff have the appropriate skills, qualifications and training to deliver services safely and effectively and would refer to the RP if unsure. There is an evident culture of openness, honesty and learning in the pharmacy. |
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