Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 29/02/2024
Pharmacy context
This is a community pharmacy in the town of Alston, Cumbria. Its main services include selling over‐the‐counter medicines, dispensing NHS prescriptions, and providing the NHS Pharmacy First service and NHS Hypertension Case Finding service. The pharmacy supplies some people with their medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy suitably manages the risks with the services it provides to people and it manages these services safely. The pharmacy keeps people’s sensitive information secure, and it is adequately equipped to safeguard vulnerable adults and children. The pharmacy’s team members follow a process to record details of mistakes made during the dispensing process. And they implement changes to the way they work to reduce the risk of similar mistakes happening again.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy employs a skilled and experienced team to help manage its workload. Team members are supported to update their knowledge and skills. And they provide feedback on the pharmacy’s services to help improve service delivery.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy premises are suitable for the services it provides. And the premises are well maintained. The pharmacy has a private consultation room which is suitable for people to have confidential conversations with team members about their health.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy offers people a range of services which are accessible and managed efficiently. The pharmacy generally manages and stores its medicines correctly. Team members respond appropriately when the pharmacy receives alerts about the safety of medicines.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the appropriate equipment and facilities to safely manage its services. The equipment is well maintained to ensure it is fit for purpose.
What do the inspection outcomes mean?
After an inspection each pharmacy receives one overall outcome. This will be either Standards met or Standards not all met
| The pharmacy has met all the standards for registered pharmacies | |
| The pharmacy has not met one or more of the standards for registered pharmacies |
What do the summary findings for each principle mean?
The standards for registered pharmacies are made up of five principles. The pharmacy will also receive one of four possible findings for each of these principles. These are:
| The pharmacy delivers an innovative service and benefits the whole community and performs well against the standards | |
| The pharmacy delivers positive outcomes for patients and performs well against most of the standards | |
| The pharmacy meets all the standards | |
| The pharmacy has not met one or more standards |