Pharmacy context
This is a community pharmacy beside other shops on a main road close to the city centre. It dispenses NHS prescriptions including supplying medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs. It also dispenses private prescriptions. The pharmacy team advises on minor ailments and medicines’ use. And supplies a range of over-the-counter medicines. It offers the NHS smoking cessation service, supply of lateral flow COVID-19 tests and seasonal flu vaccination. The pharmacy was inspected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy suitably identifies and manages the risks with its services. The pharmacy team members follow written processes to ensure they provide services safely. They record and review their mistakes to learn from them. And they review processes and make changes to make them safer. The pharmacy mostly keeps the accurate records that it needs to by law and it keeps people’s private information safe. Team members know who to contact if they have concerns about vulnerable people.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough experienced team members and those in training to safely provide its services. Team members make decisions within their competence to provide safe services to people. And they use their professional judgement to help people. They know how to make suggestions and raise concerns if they have any to keep the pharmacy safe.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy has suitable facilities for people to have conversations with team members in private. The premises are mostly adequate for the services provided although the dispensary is small. And it does not have separate facilities for team members’ rest breaks.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy helps people to access services which it provides safely. Pharmacy team members follow written processes relevant to the services they provide. They support people by providing them with relevant information and advice to help them safely use their medicines. And they provide extra written information to people taking high-risk medicines to help them take them safely. The pharmacy obtains medicines from reliable sources and stores them properly. The pharmacy team knows what to do if medicines are not fit for purpose.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment it needs for the delivery of its services. The pharmacy looks after this equipment to ensure it is fit for purpose.
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 |