Maintaining good hygiene practices

Pharmacy type

Community

Pharmacy context

​ COVID-19

Relevant standards

• 3.3 - Premises are maintained to a level of hygiene appropriate to the pharmacy services provided

Why this is notable practice

The pharmacy team have found an effective way of ensuring that staff regularly clean areas of the pharmacy that people are in constant contact with and frequently wash their hands. This helps to maintain a COVID secure workplace for staff and for people accessing the pharmacy.

How the pharmacy did this

Team members were aware of the need to wash their hands and wipe down surfaces regularly to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. But due to the busy nature of pharmacy work and the increased pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, team members had recognised they could forget to do this as often as needed.

To support an effective cleaning regimen the pharmacy had purchased a simple timer. This sounded an alarm at frequent intervals throughout the working day which prompted team members to clean various points in the pharmacy. Areas covered included the front door, the front counter, the card machine, the pen and the dispensary work benches. The team then washed their hands before starting work again. The short break away from dispensing also meant team members were refreshed and able to better concentrate when they returned to dispensing duties.

What difference this made to patients

The risk of transmission between staff and people visiting the pharmacy is reduced by the team's cleaning and hand washing regimen. This along with the use of personal protective equipment and social distancing means the risk of transferring the virus is reduced. This helps maintain a COVID secure environment for the safe and effective provision of pharmacy services.