Pharmacy type
Community
Pharmacy context
This is a community pharmacy located among retail outlets on a main road outside the town centre. It serves a mainly Asian community with many non-English speakers. The pharmacy dispenses NHS prescriptions and has a busy private travel clinic providing antimalarials and a wide range of vaccinations.
Relevant standards
- 4.2 - Pharmacy services are managed and delivered safely and effectively
Why this is notable practice
The pharmacy is reviewing whether people continue to need their medicines dispensed into multi-compartment compliance packs. It is doing this to manage the increased workload and space issues. And is discussing any required changes with people.
How the pharmacy did this
Around 50 patients had previously received their medication in multi-compartment compliance aid packs, which created a heavy workload and space commitment, and the pharmacy was reaching its limit of being able to manage the number safely. The number of patients was reduced to around 30, following assessments to see if a compliance aid pack was the most appropriate intervention for their requirements.
It was discovered that many of these people had been given compliance aid packs for convenience, rather than because they needed them. The SI decided to dispense original packs for the 20 patients who didn’t require compliance aid packs, placing the original packs in morning or evening ‘pouches’ to help the patient understand and remember their regimen.
The pharmacy came up with an alternative method for some patients, to help them understand and remember their regimen. They dispensed original packs and placed them in morning or evening ‘pouches’. For example, one tablet twice a day doses were dispensed into two boxes of fourteen, one placed in the morning pouch and the other in the evening pouch.
What difference this made to patients
By returning to original pack dispensing rather than multi-compartment compliance-aid packs, the patients are given more independence and there is less risks of error. The pharmacy provides an alternative method to help the patients understand and remember their regimen.
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: