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 works well with other pharmacies in the local area to ensure medicines supplied in multi-compartment compliance packs are provided safely.
How the pharmacy did this
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the pharmacist had worked with pharmacists from two other local pharmacies to agree a way of dealing with the volume of compliance packs. The pharmacy had reached a point that the dispensing workload for all prescriptions could start to impact on the team’s capacity to safely manage the compliance pack service. The team was also receiving more requests for this service. The size of the dispensary limited the space available for the team to dispense the packs.
The pharmacist had spoken to two other local pharmacists and arranged a meeting to see how the service could be shared. As a result, some people with their consent had moved to the other pharmacies which were closer to where they lived. The arrangements meant all three pharmacies could manage the demand for the service by supporting each other. The reduced number of compliance packs helped the team manage the increased workload as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown took hold. The collaborative working resulted in the pharmacists supporting each other further during the pandemic.
What difference this made to patients
The pharmacy team can safely manage the number of compliance packs to ensure people receive their medicines correctly. People continue to receive their medicines at a pharmacy which is convenient for them to access. And they benefit from the close working network of pharmacy professionals.
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: