Pharmacy type
Community
Pharmacy context
A healthy living pharmacy located next door to a medical centre on a main road. The pharmacy dispenses between 6,500 and 7,500 prescription items a month and provides a range of services including over the counter (OTC) sales of medicines, medicines use reviews (MURs), a new medicines service (NMS), a prescription collection and delivery service, a minor ailments scheme (MAS), smoking cessation, seasonal influenza vaccinations, chlamydia screening, patient group directions (PGDs) for emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) and the treatment of chlamydia, substance misuse treatment for a client, and monitored dosage system (MDS) dispensing for domiciliary patients.
Relevant standards
- 1.4 - Feedback and concerns about the pharmacy, services and staff can be raised by individuals and organizations, and these are taken into account and action taken where appropriate
- 3.2 - Premises protect the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients and the public who receive pharmacy services
- 3.5 - Pharmacy services are provided in an environment that is appropriate for the provision of healthcare
Why this is notable practice
Patient feedback informs the design and layout of the pharmacy.
How the pharmacy did this
The pharmacy had multiple systems in place to obtain regular feedback from patients. This included the active participation in an annual survey, as well as anonymous feedback sought through regular mystery shopper audits. The results from the surveys were reviewed by the pharmacy team, and the points of feedback raised were identified and utilised to inform the layout and design of the pharmacy. This included the installation of an automatic door; a dedicated seating area for people waiting for services and installation of a suitably sized consultation room, and a separate consultation pod, enabling the multiple services delivered by the pharmacy to be conducted in a private and confidential manner.
What difference this made to patients
The pharmacy layout now improves accessibility to services within the pharmacy, as well as providing an environment which supports the delivery of pharmacy services in a manner that promotes privacy and dignity for people using services.
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: