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Pharmacy inspections

Inspection reports and learning from inspections

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Providing medicine summaries for people

Pharmacy type

Internet / Distance Selling

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 is routinely providing medicine summaries for people getting their prescriptions dispensed. This helps to support them in taking their medicines correctly.

How the pharmacy did this

This was a distance selling pharmacy. When it received prescriptions from a person that had not used the pharmacy, the pharmacist contacted the person by telephone. The pharmacist asked them about their medicines. For example, how many doses they had left at home of each one and at what time of day they took their medicines.

The information obtained during the telephone call formed the basis of the patient information chart which the pharmacy produced and sent to people routinely when it supplied medicines. This meant the person had a daily reminder about the medicines they were taking. And they could use the chart to record the medicines they had taken, and as a repeat medicine request form for their next order. The patient information chart contained pictures of each of the medicines, taken from reputable sources. The team checked this information regularly to ensure it was kept up to date.

What difference this made to patients

The pharmacy pro-actively contacts people to talk about their medicines. This means people accessing pharmacy services from a distance have the opportunity to speak directly to a pharmacist about their medicines and receive support to help them manage their medicines.

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:

  1. 1.1 Risk management
  2. 1.2 Reviewing and monitoring the safety of services
  3. 4.2 Safe and effective service delivery
  4. 4.3 Sourcing and safe, secure management of medicines and devices
  5. 2.2 Staff skills and qualifications