Pharmacy type
Community
Pharmacy context
COVID-19
Relevant standards
- 4.2 - Pharmacy services are managed and delivered safely and effectively
Why this is notable practice
The pharmacy acts quickly to resolve any issues that it identifies with the COVID-19 vaccination service, and takes steps to ensure the service doesn’t affect the day-to-day running of the pharmacy. People can telephone the COVID-19 vaccination centre directly. This means calls about the service do not impact on people needing to speak to a team member about a different matter.
How the pharmacy did this
The pharmacy ran a COVID-19 vaccination service at an associated site. The local press had run several articles about pharmacy-led vaccination sites in the area and both the pharmacy and community centre had seen an increase in the number of telephone queries about the service.
Many of the queries required answering by someone who understood the service. Due to this the Superintendent Pharmacist (SI) felt that she was best placed to answer them. The pharmacy had installed a dedicated phone line for the vaccination service, and it diverted this to a mobile phone. The SI carried the mobile phone and dealt with the questions and queries that came through. She explained that some of the queries were straightforward, such as, what identification do I need to bring to prove I am eligible for a vaccination. And some were clinical questions requiring pharmacist input.
What difference this made to patients
Telephone calls are answered quickly and by someone who has the skills and knowledge to assist with the query. The day-to-day running of the pharmacy is not affected by the COVID-19 vaccination service. And people can contact the pharmacy as they usually would.
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: