Pharmacy type
Community
Pharmacy context
COVID-19
Relevant standards
- 4.1 - The pharmacy services provided are accessible to patients and the public
Why this is notable practice
The pharmacy effectively communicates relevant information to its diverse local population. And it ensures that people who do not have English as their first language can access the information they need. This is helping to ensure that people throughout the community are better informed about what they should do if they suspect they may have COVID-19 or have come into contact with someone with it. And by doing this the pharmacy is helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections.
How the pharmacy did this
The pharmacy was located in an area with a diverse local population. And English was not the first language for a significant number of people living there. The pharmacy team had found that many people had come to the pharmacy expecting to be able to get a COVID-19 test. And others came to the pharmacy for advice after they had been tested, rather than self-isolating. So, the pharmacy team had recognised that it needed to provide information to people in a more helpful way. So, with the help of staff at the local COVID-19 test centre, the team had produced notices in several different languages, which they had then displayed on the pharmacy’s windows. The notices explained that the pharmacy did not provide COVID-19 tests and gave directions to the test centre. The notices also advised people that they should not come into the pharmacy if they had just been for a test or were required to self-isolate or had tested positive for COVID-19.
What difference this made to patients
Through the use of multi-language notices, the pharmacy is helping to ensure that people who may be COVID-19 positive and those who are required to self-isolate do not come into contact with other people using the pharmacy and its team members. And so, the pharmacy is helping to reduce the risk of the virus spreading further in the local community.
Highlighted standards
We have identified the standards most likely and least likely to be met in inspections, and highlighted examples of notable practice for each of these standards; to help everyone learn from others and to support continuous improvement: