Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 29/05/2019
Pharmacy context
The pharmacy was situated on the high street in the town centre. It dispenses NHS and private prescriptions and sells over-the-counter medicines. In addition to the standard NHS services it also provides services under private patient group directions including a private travel clinic.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy identifies and manages most of the risks associated with the provision of its services. It has good processes for learning from mistakes and uses these to improve the safety and quality of its services. The pharmacy team members have defined roles and accountability. They share responsibility for making sure that the services they provide are safe. The pharmacy keeps the records required to make sure that medicines are supplied safely and legally. The pharmacy adequately manages people’s personal information. It asks its customers for their views and knows how to protect vulnerable people.
Principle 2. Staff
On the day of inspection, the pharmacy had sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to safely provide pharmacy services. However, the team said that one of the reasons for a recent increase in mistakes was due to staff shortages because a member of staff had left. The team members worked well together. They are comfortable about providing feedback and are committed to improving the pharmacy’s services. There is a work culture of openness and honesty. The pharmacy team members have access to a range of training resources with which to improve their skills. But there wasn’t always sufficient time at work to study them.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy keeps its premises safe, secure and appropriately maintained. It protects people’s confidentiality. The premises are secure from unauthorised access when open and when closed.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy provides its services safely and effectively. The pharmacy is good at providing people with the advice and support they need to help them use their medicines safely. The pharmacy obtains its medicines and medical devices from reputable sources. The pharmacy manages and stores its stock medicines well. Stock is stored at the right temperature in suitable containers. There is a clear and robust time period for supplying liquid medicines once they have been opened. The pharmacy takes the right actions if any medicines or devices are not safe to use to protect people’s health and wellbeing.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has access to the appropriate equipment and facilities to provide the services it offers. It adequately maintains the equipment and facilities that it uses.
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 |