Pharmacy context
This pharmacy is situated in a residential of Heald Green, Cheadle. The pharmacy premises are accessible for people, with adequate space in the retail area. The pharmacy sells a range of over-the-counter medicines and dispenses both private and NHS prescriptions. The pharmacy provides treatment under patient group directions (PGDs) face to face and online for different conditions, including, hair loss, acne, erectile dysfunction, period delay, nausea, and others. And it has a consultation room available for private conversations. This was a targeted inspection which focussed on the online operation of the pharmacy, involving the supply of medicines for various health conditions under PGDs. The inspection primarily covered standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 1.8, 2.2, 3.1, 4.2 and 5.1.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy provides access to treatment online for a number of different conditions under patient group directions (PGD). But this falls outside the scope of those PGDs, which means the supplies of medication are not legal and may compromise patient safety. The pharmacy has most of its up-to-date standard operating procedures (SOP) for the services provided available for team members to refer to. But some important SOPs are not always accessible which may make it harder for its team members to understand the correct process to follow if an incident were to occur.
Principle 2. Staff
There are enough staff to manage the pharmacy's workload. But there are no additional training packages provided to members of the team. And there is no formal appraisal programme. So, the learning and development needs for members of the team may not be fully met.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy is clean and tidy. It is a suitable place to provide the services that it offers. It has a consultation room so that people can have a conversation in private with members of the team.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy's services are easy to access. And it uses electronic software to help provide them effectively. However, it does not adequately verify the identification of people accessing treatment or medicines online which means there is an increased risk of supplying a medicine that is not appropriate or safe to use. The pharmacy attempts to speak with people who request an online consultation. But the process is not robust, and treatments are sometimes provided whether they speak to a pharmacist or not. This may further increase the risk of medicines being supplied in an unsafe manner.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment it needs to provide services safely. It is used in a way that protects people's privacy. And the electrical equipment is in working order.
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.