Swillington Pharmacy (1039696) - Improvement action plan

The environment of the premises does not support the safe delivery of services. There is excessive clutter and untidy shelves which increases the risks of picking the incorrect medication from the shelf. The pharmacy has inadequate space for the preparation of multi-compartmental compliance packs. It leaves the packs open for checking and stacked on top of each other. This increases the risks of medication falling out or moving in the pack. And there is the risk that items may move between different people’s packs. The work benches in the room where the team prepares the packs are very untidy and cluttered. This leaves little space to work and risks dropping the packs or knocking them over.

Clutter to be tidied away to ensure clear benches for dispensing. Reducing risks of error. All shelves to be tidied, stock to be date
checked if not already done. This will reduce risk of picking errors and ensure all medicines
are safe for use.
Review space for preparation of multi-compartmental packs. Ensure the area is clean, tidy and clutter free to ensure a safe environment. Practice of stacking to be stopped. Packs to be checked by responsible Pharmacist as soon as practically possible. All staff to be made aware of the need for better working practices and reinforce the importance of increasing patient safety.

The pharmacy doesn’t manage and store all its medicines appropriately. The pharmacy mixes medication from different manufacturers in the same box. And pharmacy team members don’t always record details such as batch number and expiry dates after transferring stock from the original pack to another container. This means if there is a drug recall they can't make the necessary checks. And they dont know if the medicines are safe to supply. The pharmacy doesn't put medication returned from people in to appropriate waste bins. This means there is a risk of supplying these medicines to other people.

Practice of mixing medication from different batches in the same box to be STOPPED with immediate effect.
Reinforcement of good dispensing practice to all members of staff to be carried out. Revisiting dispensing SOP’s.
Staff to be encouraged to report any worries/queries without fear of recrimination as the safety of patients must always come first.
Your report says there are waste bins on site,
so the need for there proper use must be reinforced. This will ensure there is no risk of these medications being reissued to other people.