Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 16/03/2022
Pharmacy context
This is a community pharmacy in the rural village of Tarbolton, Ayrshire. There is no other healthcare provision within 2 miles of the village. The pharmacy dispenses NHS prescriptions, private prescriptions and sells over-the-counter medicines. It also provides a range of services including emergency hormonal contraception, and supplies for people receiving care through substance misuse services. People receive advice and medicines for minor ailments through the pharmacy first scheme. The pharmacy supplies medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs for some people to help them take the medicines at the right time. The inspection was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy team follows written procedures, and this helps to maintain the safety and effectiveness of the pharmacy's services. The pharmacy keeps the records it needs to by law. And members of the team know how to keep private information safe. They discuss mistakes they make to help identify learning and reduce the chances of similar mistakes happening again. But the pharmacy does not have records readily available to show the team's learnings from mistakes.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough team members to manage the workload and they are appropriately trained for their roles. Members of the pharmacy team complete their own reading to help them keep their knowledge up to date. But the pharmacy does not provide opportunities for regular learning as it does not have a structured training programme. So, it may not identify or address team members' learning and development needs.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy premises are suitable for the services provided and the pharmacy acts to help make the premises COVID secure. It has a consultation room available so people can have private conversations about their health.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy's services are easy to access. It has sufficient procedures in place the ensure services are managed in a way which are safe. And it gets its medicines from recognised sources. But the pharmacy lacks robust procedures to help prevent the clinical checks and expiry dates of prescriptions being overlooked. And it does not always identify people who are taking high-risk medicines to ensure they are routinely counselled. These procedures would help to provide additional oversight and ensure people are always taking their medicines safely.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
Members of the pharmacy team have access to the equipment they need for the services they provide. And they maintain the equipment so that it is safe to use.
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 |