Pharmacy context
The pharmacy is located on a parade of shop on a busy main road in a largely residential area. It provides NHS dispensing services, the New Medicine Service, flu vaccinations and COVID vaccinations. It also provides a private prescribing service, an ear irrigation service, blood pressure checks and vitamin B12 injections. It provides medicines as part of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. The pharmacy supplies medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs to a small number of people who live in their own homes and need this support. And it supplies medicines to some care homes. The pharmacy provides substance misuse medications to a small number of people.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy cannot show that it adequately identifies and manages the risks associated with all its services, particularly its prescribing service. It does not undertake risk assessments before implementing a new service. And it does not monitor the safety and quality of its prescribing service, for example by conducting regular clinical audits. The pharmacy does not share information about the treatment it provides through its private prescribing service with people’s usual prescribers. And it doesn't keep consistent records about its consultations to show that its prescribing service is safe. The pharmacy doesn’t always record mistakes that happen during the dispensing process. And this could mean that team members are missing out on opportunities to learn and improve the pharmacy’s services. However, it protects people’s personal information well. And team members understand their role in protecting vulnerable people. People can provide feedback about the pharmacy’s services.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy cannot sufficiently demonstrate that its prescribers have the right knowledge and skills for the services they provide. However, there are enough team members to adequately manage the pharmacy's workload and they can raise concerns. Team members are not provided with regular ongoing training, which could make it harder for them to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy's premises are generally adequate for the pharmacy’s services and are kept secure. And people can have a conversation with a team member in a private area.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy does not manage all its medicines safely or store them securely. As described under Principle 1, there are issues with how the pharmacy manages some of its services. And it cannot sufficiently demonstrate that it provides its vitamin B12 injection service in accordance with legal requirements. But on the whole, it generally manages its other services appropriately. People with a range of needs can access the pharmacy’s services. And the pharmacy gets its medicines from reputable suppliers. People who get their medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs receive the information they need to take their medicines safely.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy uses its equipment to help protect people’s personal information. And it generally has the equipment it needs to provide its services safely. But it could do more to ensure that its equipment is maintained properly.
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 does 'pharmacy has not met all standards' mean?
When a pharmacy has not met all standards, they are required to complete an improvement action plan, which you can find via a link at the top left of this page. We monitor progress to check the improvements are made and inspect again after six months to make sure the pharmacy is maintaining these improvements. A new report will then be published.