Doctor Care Pharmacy (1041484) - Improvement action plan

The pharmacy does not always store its prescription-only medicines securely or ensure they are labelled appropriately.

• Pharmacy procedure has been updated so that MCAs are now assembled downstairs in a designated room to ensure they cannot be accessed by members of the public and that there is adequate room for storage and dispensing. The procedure has also been updated to ensure that the prescription is available alongside the backing sheet and staff are required to check both when assembling MCAs
• All medications in amber bottles have been removed from the dispensary and discarded
• Guidelines have been written with regards to the storage of prescription only medication and discussed with staff. These guidelines include the following: any medication that is kept outside of the original packaging must clearly state the date and batch number (either on the strip or written on the box), opened bottles must clearly state the date opened and have an appropriately amended expiry date, look-alike/sound-alike medications are appropriately separated to prevent errors, etc.
• A date-checking SOP has been read and signed by all staff – it highlights the process for date checking as well as detailing the frequency of date checking. A log is attached to the SOP to record the date of check, the staff member who conducted the check and any additional comments (if any issues are noted)
• All returned medications have been moved downstairs to the pharmaceutical waste bin so that they are no longer accessible from the shop floor
• Pharmacy procedure now updated so that MHRA alerts/recalls received by email are reviewed and actioned by the SI/pharmacist and the alert and response are saved in the MHRA alerts folder within the email account. A copy of the alert is printed and annotated with action taken and filed in a specific folder for future review if necessary.