Pharmacy context
The pharmacy is located on a main road in a residential area. The pharmacy dispenses NHS and private prescriptions. It offers Medicines Use Reviews (MURs), the New Medicine Service (NMS), flu vaccinations and a local delivery service. This was a targeted inspection as intelligence had been received that the pharmacy had been obtaining unusually large quantities of codeine linctus which is addictive and can be abused. The inspection was undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
Overall, the pharmacy adequately identifies and manages the risks associated with its services to help provide them safely. It keeps the records it needs to keep by law and these are largely kept accurate and up to date. The pharmacy learns from mistakes that happen during the dispensing process to help make its services safer. And people can provide feedback about the pharmacy’s services.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough team members to provide its services safely. They can raise any concerns or make suggestions and they can take professional decisions to ensure people taking medicines are safe. Where relevant, the pharmacy generally enrols staff on a suitable accredited training course for their role. But it does not always do this in a timely manner.
Principle 3. Premises
The premises are suitable for the pharmacy’s services and are clean. People can have a conversation with a team member in a private area. But the pharmacy could do more to keep its consultation room tidy and clear of unnecessary items.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy provides its services safely and people can access them. The pharmacy gets its stock from reputable sources and stores it properly. Team members take the right action when safety alerts are received, to ensure that people get medicines and medical devices that are safe to use. However, the pharmacy does not keep an audit of stock it transfers to other branches. So, it is harder for the pharmacy to keep track of stock movement. And for the pharmacy group as a whole to identify any potential concerns with purchases of larger quantities of medicines liable to misuse.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment it needs to provide its services safely. And it generally maintains its equipment well.
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 |