Halliwell Midnight Pharmacy (1099351)

Inspection summary findings

Principle 1. Governance

The pharmacy does not fully manage the risks associated with selling medicines online. It does not gather information about the risks for each individual over-the-counter medicine it supplies and does not assess these risks to help manage them effectively. Some checks of people's identity are completed when ordering medicines online, but there is a risk that these may be ineffective when medicines are delivered to alternative addresses. The pharmacy does not always store or dispose of people's personal information properly. Team members respond appropriately when mistakes happen during the dispensing process, but they do not always make a record when things go wrong so some learning opportunities may be missed. The pharmacy generally reviews and monitors the quality of its services, and it takes some action to improve patient safety. But the pharmacy does not confirm whether people's weights are appropriately verified before weight loss treatments are prescribed. So, it cannot provide an assurance that the medicines it supplies are always suitable. It also does not always review the supplies of medicines for asthma to help make sure they continue to be appropriate. The pharmacy largely keeps most of the records that are needed by law.

Principle 2. Staff

The pharmacy team members have the appropriate qualifications for the jobs they do. They can provide feedback to their manager about the pharmacy and its services, and they feel reasonably well supported. But team members do not get regular ongoing training, so there may be gaps in their knowledge and skills.

Principle 3. Premises

The pharmacy generally provides a suitable environment for people to receive healthcare services. It has a private consultation room that enables it to provide members of the public with the opportunity to have confidential conversations. However, patient sensitive information is not always stored securely in the consultation room. The pharmacy’s website provides information about the pharmacy and the prescribing service so that people can understand the services that are available.

Principle 4. Services, including medicines management

The pharmacy offers a wide range of healthcare services, which are generally well managed and easy for people to access. The pharmacy obtains its medicines from licensed sources but does not always keep its medicines secure from unauthorised access. The pharmacy team has professional oversight of all online medicine orders and systems are in place to intervene when there are clinical issues with prescriptions. However, the pharmacy does not always carry out checks to help make sure the medicines it prescribes are appropriate for people so it cannot always demonstrate that the supply is safe.

Principle 5. Equipment and facilities

Members of the pharmacy team have access to the equipment and facilities they need for the services they provide. They maintain the equipment so that it is safe to use.