Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 17/06/2021
Pharmacy context
The pharmacy offers a 'hub and spoke' service and supplies medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs to a large number of other pharmacies in the group. These pharmacies then supply these packs to people who live in their own homes to help them manage their medicines. The pharmacy also supplies pharmacy-only medicines and General Sales List medicines online (www.expresschemist.co.uk). And it offers other services, including chlamydia treatment and seasonal influenza vaccinations. It also provides medicines as part of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. And it holds a wholesale dealer licence and a Home Office license which allows it to supply some medicines to a local hospice. The inspection was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy identifies and manages the risks associated with its services. And it is good at monitoring and reviewing the safety of its services on an ongoing basis. It provides its services safely. And it protects people’s personal information well. People are able to provide feedback about the pharmacy. The pharmacy keeps the records it needs to keep by law, to show that its medicines are supplied safely and legally. And team members understand their role in protecting vulnerable people.
Principle 2. Staff
Team members are provided with structured ongoing training to support their learning needs and maintain their knowledge and skills. And they get time set aside in work to complete it. The pharmacy has enough trained team members to provide its services safely. And it increases the number of staff to ensure that its workload is well managed. They feel able to raise any concerns or make suggestions and this means that they can help improve the systems in the pharmacy. Team members can take professional decisions to ensure people taking medicines are safe.
Principle 3. Premises
The premises provide a safe, secure, and clean environment for the pharmacy's services. People are able to contact the pharmacy and speak with the pharmacist in private.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy provides its services safely and manages them well. And it regularly reviews the types of medicines it provides online, to help make sure that it can provide them safely. The pharmacy gets its medicines from reputable suppliers and stores them properly. It responds appropriately to drug alerts and product recalls. This helps make sure that its medicines and devices are safe for people to use. People with a range of needs can access the pharmacy’s services.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the equipment it needs to provide its services safely. And it uses its equipment to help protect people’s personal information.
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 |