Pharmacy type
Community
Pharmacy context
COVD-19
Relevant standards
- 4.2 - Pharmacy services are managed and delivered safely and effectively
Why this is notable practice
The pharmacy undertakes regular reviews of its COVID-19 vaccination service. It uses the information from these reviews to help inform the patient journey through the service. This means that people spend less time in the pharmacy and more people can be vaccinated.
How the pharmacy did this
The pharmacy was providing a COVID-19 vaccination service under a patient group direction (PGD) from its registered premises. Pharmacists had carried out most of the tasks required as part of the vaccination process; such as, gaining and recording consent, carrying out the clinical check, administering the vaccine, completing the record, completing the person's vaccination card and cleaning down chairs and contact surfaces after each patient.
The SI had found that one of the most time-consuming tasks for the vaccinators was completing each person’s vaccination card. This included the patient’s name, details of the vaccine used, its batch number and the date of vaccination. And so, to help manage this better, each day the pharmacy team checked the vaccine stock to be used and printed this information onto pharmacy labels. The team had then applied the labels to a set of vaccination cards ready for the next day's appointments. This meant that the vaccinator only had to check the details matched and add the person’s name at the time of vaccination. The new process had been successful in improving the efficiency of the service.
What difference this made to patients
People experience a more efficient vaccination service and can expect to spend less time in the pharmacy.
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: