Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 17/07/2019
Pharmacy context
This is an independent retail pharmacy located on a busy thoroughfare in central London. It is open seven days a week and trades late into the evening. A large proportion of people who visit the pharmacy are Arabic-speaking and many are visitors from overseas. The pharmacy sells a range of over-the counter medicines and health and beauty products. It only dispenses private prescriptions as it does not have an NHS contract. The only other pharmacy services offered are blood pressure monitoring and diabetes screening. There is a private doctor’s clinic in the pharmacy’s basement which is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It provides GP services and non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy’s working practices are generally effective. It maintains the records it needs to by law and it keeps people’s private information safe. It has some written procedures to make sure the team works safely, but these do not always reflect current practice or cover all aspects of the services. So team members might not fully understand their responsiblities. And pharmacy team members have a limited understanding of safeguarding vulnerable people, so they may be less confident identifying issues or raising concerns.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough staff to deliver the services and team members complete basic training for their roles. They work well together and can provide feedback and contribute ideas. But the lack of formal ongoing training could mean their skills and knowledge may not always be up to date.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy was bright, modern and well-presented. Fittings were suitably maintained.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy’s services are easy to access, and they are generally well managed. It sources, stores and supplies medicines safely. And the pharmacy team carries out some checks to make sure medicines are in good condition and suitable for supply.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment and facilities that it needs to provide its services.
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 |