| Standard not met | Reason | Action being taken by the Pharmacy | By when | Notification By Pharmacy Improvements Made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | The pharmacy has multiple versions of its written procedures. Its team members do not know how to access and have not signed to confirm they have read the most recent version meaning they may not all be working in a consistent way. |
The pharmacy has chosen an online service to streamline the written procedures and for safe and secure filling of the documents. Staff have been signed on to the service so that they can access, read and sign the procedures/SOPs. The paper versions will be discontinued. |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
| 1.1 | It is unclear how some services such as the private weight loss service are provided as the pharmacy has three different procedures describing three separate routes for consultations and supply of weight loss medicines. And the pharmacy does not keep records to show how the service is provided. This blurs the lines of accountability and increases the risk of an adverse event occurring. |
The pharmacy has reviewed all their private service provisions and clarified the appropriate route for consultations. For the weight loss service, we have the relevant SOP, consultation template that is followed during consultation, the necessary risk assessment tools and that for obtaining consent as well as the prescription of the medications and advise given. We also have a patient leaflet which is given to patients following their first consultation. Also every follow-up visit is clearly documented. The records are kept electronically. |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
| 1.6 | The pharmacy does not maintain consultation records for its weight loss service. The pharmacist does not have records of the information discussed during consultations, including the rationale for supplying medicines, ongoing monitoring, or consideration for any follow-up required. This means important information may not always be available to ensure the pharmacy supplies its medicines safely. |
As stated above The pharmacy has a detailed consultation tool (provided as evidence alongside this document) that it uses to gather the necessary information from the patient and details what discussions have been had and the outcome of the consultation and follow-up plan. |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
| 1.6 | The pharmacy does not keep some of its records in accordance with requirements. It does not have a clear system for holding private prescriptions to ensure these are readily available to refer to should a query arise. It does not always record the receipt of patient returned higher-risk medicines to ensure an audit trail of these is maintained from the point of return. And it holds multiple versions of the responsible pharmacist record with gaps in recording in each record. This may lead to uncertainty about who the responsible pharmacist is at any given time. |
The pharmacy has provided a file to hold all private prescriptions. It also intends to scan the script to be held more securely electronically. The pharmacy has also purchased a “returns book/ record” to record all patient’s returns. All the responsible pharmacists are instructed to ensure that all patient returns are appropriately recorded and signed during their shifts. The pharmacy will maintain one record book at a time and the responsible pharmacist will sign them while on shift. |
21/05/2026 | |
| 4.2 | The pharmacy does not demonstrate it has appropriate safeguards in place when providing its private weight loss service. There is confusion about which written procedures are being followed when providing the service. And there is no evidence of valid private prescriptions being produced when a pharmacist independent prescriber has prescribed a weight loss medicine following a face-to-face consultation. Furthermore, absence of consultation records means pharmacists do not have the ability to check previous treatment records for people returning for further treatments to ensure continuation of the treatment remains safe. |
As stated in 1.1 above. The procedure for accessing weight loss programme at Vantage Vale Chemist has been clarified, finalised and stored electronically. All the providers of the service at the pharmacy are made to read, sign and follow the SOP. Every consultation (initial and follow up) are recorded using the consultation template and stored electronically. As these records are readily available, any person reviewing the patient at any time has access to the previous consultations and any outcomes including advise and prescriptions given. |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
| 4.3 | The pharmacy has inadequate management arrangements for storing some of its medicines. It does not store all stock medicines safely in their original packaging. And it does not hold higher risk medicines requiring secure storage safely. This increases the risk of a dispensing incident occurring. |
The pharmacy intents to store all medications in their original packages, and has put in place a procedure to ensure that all medications are stored as such. Where this is not possible due to damage to the original packaging, the medication will be very clearly relabelled including the expiry date and batch number. The pharmacy has also demarcated areas for storage of stock medications and does not dispense from that area. The medications that are dispensed are from the shelves and not from the stock storage area. The pharmacy has a secure storage for higher risk medicines and stores them securely. The pharmacy has reduced the quantity of medicines it keeps in stock including high risk medicines. The medicines are ordered when needed and only a very limited quantity is kept for emergencies. |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
| 5.2 | The pharmacy doesn’t have suitable equipment for providing all of its services. It uses non-standardised plastic measures which do not guarantee accurate measurement of liquid medicines during the dispensing process. And it uses a handheld tape measure when measuring people's heights which may lead to inaccurate information used to calculate people's body mass index. |
The pharmacy has updated its equipment. The pharmacy has replaced the measuring cylinders from plastics to glass ware (appropriate for use in the pharmacy). The pharmacy has installed a standard height measure. It also has a standard weight measure, ensuring that accurate readings are used in the calculation of the patient’s BMI |
21/05/2026 | 26/05/2026 |
Pharmacy inspections
Inspection reports and learning from inspections