Tesco Instore Pharmacy (1029209)

Inspection summary findings

Principle 1. Governance

The pharmacy’s team members work in accordance with written procedures to help reduce risks in the pharmacy. They keep people’s private information safe. And they generally make and retain the records they need to by law. The pharmacy’s team members try to learn from their mistakes to make their services safer. But details about mistakes that are corrected in the pharmacy are not always recorded. So, the pharmacy may not be able to easily identify any patterns or trends and share learning from these events with the whole team.

Principle 2. Staff

There are just about enough pharmacy team members to cope with the current workload though, at times, the team can feel under some pressure. They work closely together, can raise concerns and discuss issues, and they get regular support from an area manager. And they have completed or are enrolled on the right training for the tasks they undertake. But, because team members don’t get time at work to do training, it makes it harder for them to keep their skills and knowledge current.

Principle 3. Premises

In general, the pharmacy’s premises are maintained properly and are suitable for providing the pharmacy’s services. The premises are secure against unauthorised access, and they are accessible to people with mobility problems.

Principle 4. Services, including medicines management

The pharmacy generally dispenses prescriptions safely. The pharmacy team is aware of the need for extra care when supplying certain medicines which may be higher risk. And the pharmacy checks its stock to make sure the medicines it supplies are of a suitable quality.

Principle 5. Equipment and facilities

The pharmacy has the equipment it needs to provide its services safely. It has addressed the lack of suitable equipment to check fridge temperatures highlighted during the previous inspection. However, there is further scope to make sure the fridges are constantly maintaining the correct temperatures and that they are not over-filled so medicines are stored properly.