Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 18/09/2024
Pharmacy context
This is a community pharmacy based in a largely residential area. The premises have been extended since the last inspection, creating more space for dispensing and offering consultations with people in privacy. The pharmacy's main activity is dispensing NHS prescriptions. It also delivers medicines to some people's homes. And it supplies medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs to some people who need this additional support to help them manage their medicines. The pharmacy also provides the NHS Pharmacy First service.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy manages the risks associated with its services effectively. It protects people’s information. It makes the records it needs to by law within the required timescales and these are generally complete. The pharmacy team members try to learn from their mistakes so they can make their services safer. And the pharmacy has procedures which tell its team members how to work safely. But these haven’t been reviewed since 2020 so may not always reflect current best practice.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough team members to cope with its workload and they work well together. They have the right qualifications or are doing the right training for the roles they undertake. But the pharmacy doesn’t have a structured approach to ongoing training which may make it harder to identify and support learning and development needs for each of the team members.
Principle 3. Premises
The premises have been much improved following a refit and extension and present a professional image to people visiting the pharmacy. It also has a well-screened consultation room where people can receive services and speak to team members in private.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
Overall, the pharmacy manages its services effectively. It has installed a vending machine thereby creating greater access for people who might need to collect their prescriptions outside of the pharmacy’s usual opening hours. The pharmacy’s team members prepare compliance packs safely. And the pharmacy stores its medicines appropriately. The pharmacy tries to make sure that prescriptions for higher‐risk medicines are highlighted so people get all the information and advice they need to take their medicines safely. But this doesn’t happen consistently which may mean some opportunities to support people appropriately are missed.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment and facilities it needs to provide its services safely. And these are maintained appropriately.
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 |