| Standard not met | Reason | Action being taken by the Pharmacy | By when | Notification By Pharmacy Improvements Made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | The pharmacy sells and prescribes medicines at a distance, but it does not have risk assessments available or effectively identify all of the risks associated with its services. It does not have a thorough process to check the identity of the people using its online services to ensure the person is who they say they are. And it does not inform the person’s regular prescriber when it issues a private prescription and supplies medicines to people. So the pharmacy is not able to show how it manages the associated risks effectively and demonstrate how it provides its services in a safe manner. |
We will implement structured risk assessments for our online prescribing and dispensing services. New updated SOP’s to be followed. A more robust identity verification process will be introduced to ensure patients are who they claim to be. Passport or Driving Licence I.D will need to be provided for all consultations and ordering. We already have a template GP notification letter (see attached letter sample), which we print and post to patient’s GP if they request us to do so. For higher risk medicines we will make sure to always send a letter. |
14/04/2025 | |
| 1.2 | The pharmacy does not have a process to record and review mistakes that occur during the dispensing process. So it cannot demonstrate how its team members identify learning points from adverse events to help improve the services they provide and make them safer. And there is a risk of similar mistakes occurring again. |
A formal near-miss and dispensing error log. We are in the process of signing up to Pharmsmart where the error log would be available electronically. Regular reviews will be conducted to identify learning points and improve safety. |
14/04/2025 | |
| 1.6 | Some records are kept by the pharmacy when medicines are prescribed. However, they do not keep the required records when medicines are supplied against private prescriptions. So they are unable to accurately show what medicines have been supplied and when. |
All private prescription supplies will be accurately recorded in Pharmsmarts electronic POM register (and not just on Halaxy software), ensuring compliance with record-keeping requirements. |
14/04/2025 | |
| 3.1 | The pharmacy has a website which uses a questionnaire style consultation, and it is present on each individual medicine page. The website does not make it clear that the prescribing decisions are made by the pharmacist independent prescribers. The consultation method used does not allow for a two-way communication which may impact on the ability of the prescriber to suggest safer alternative treatments. |
3.1 The pharmacy has a website which uses a questionnaire style consultation, and it is present on each individual medicine page. The website does not make it clear that the prescribing decisions are made by the pharmacist independent prescribers. The consultation method used does not allow for a two-way communication which may impact on the ability of the prescriber to suggest safer alternative treatments. Our website content will be updated to clearly state that prescribing decisions are made by Pharmacist independent prescribers. We will put this on the homepage to make it clearer. A two-way communication function (chat feature) will be added to the website where patients can click and message for a live chat. On the backend there is a feature where prescribers can message patients already however we will make it clearer that patients can live chat to us or even email. |
14/04/2025 | |
| 4.2 | The pharmacy does not always have prescribing policies available for all the health conditions that it offers consultation services for. It issues prescriptions for high strength sodium fluoride toothpaste without seeking advice from a dental specialist which is not in line with the prescribing guidance and the product license. So the pharmacy is unable to show how it prescribes medicines safely and demonstrate how its prescribers follow a good decision making process. |
Prescribing policies will be reviewed and updated for all conditions covered and placed into our SOP folder. Sodium fluoride prescribing will be aligned with appropriate clinical guidelines, ensuring specialist input where needed. An official peer review with a Dentist to reinforce knowledge will be done. |
14/04/2025 | |
| 4.2 | The pharmacy supplies medicines online and requests people to provide their age. But it does not independently verify their age or carry out robust ID checks. So the pharmacy is unable to show it is supplying medicines safely when providing services at a distance. |
A stricter ID verification system will be introduced to enhance patient safety when supplying medicines online. All consultations and high risk medicines will require I.D to be submitted such as a Passport or Driving Licence. |
14/04/2025 |
Pharmacy inspections
Inspection reports and learning from inspections