Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 02/02/2022
Pharmacy context
The pharmacy was inspected during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is situated in a residential area in a parade of shops. It has a Post Office in the building. The pharmacy was one of the first pharmacies in the country to establish a COVID-19 vaccination centre. It offers NHS and private dispensing services, as well as selling medicines over the counter, both in the pharmacy and on the internet (General Sales List items only). It dispenses multi-compartment compliance packs for a number of people in the community, and some people living in care homes. It also provides medicines to some people who receive support from the drug and alcohol team.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
Members of the pharmacy
team work to professional standards and identify and manage risks effectively.
They record or discuss mistakes they make during the dispensing process with
the regular pharmacist. And they try to learn from these events to avoid problems
being repeated. The pharmacy generally keeps its records up to date and these
show that it is providing safe services. Its team members understand how they
can help to protect the welfare of vulnerable people. And the pharmacy team
members generally keep people’s private information safe. But the shared use of electronic smartcards to access the NHS spine is contrary to the conditions
of use and may pose a risk to patient privacy.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough
team members to provide its services, and they work effectively together and
are supportive of one another. They have the appropriate skills, qualifications,
and training to deliver services safely and effectively. There is support for
staff to progress in their training.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy's premises are
clean, secure and provide an appropriate environment to deliver its services.
People can have a conversation with a team member in a private area. Fire exits
must be kept clear of obstruction and be readily accessible at all times when
the pharmacy is open.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
Overall, the pharmacy
delivers its services in a safe and effective way and it gets its medicines
from reputable sources. Pharmacy team members are helpful and give advice to
people. They could do more to make sure that people have all the information they
need so that they can use their medicines safely. And this applies to when they
supply valproate.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy generally has the right equipment for its services. It makes sure its equipment is safe to use.
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 |