Tesco Instore Pharmacy (1029209)

Inspection summary findings

Principle 1. Governance

A lack of management oversight and support in the pharmacy means that some risks are not fully managed to protect people’s health and wellbeing. Issues involving the state of some of the equipment and the premises are not resolved promptly. And some staff are undertaking tasks for which they aren’t doing the right training. However, the pharmacy’s team members try to learn from their mistakes to make their services safer. And the pharmacy keeps people’s information safe. It keeps the records it needs to by law, and these are largely complete.

Principle 2. Staff

The pharmacy’s team members work well together but they are struggling to manage their workload effectively. There is a lack of oversight of how the pharmacy is running and limited support for the team members. Some team members are undertaking tasks not covered by their current training. And others are not able to complete the accredited training they have started. Pharmacy team members are not always able to answer phone calls in the pharmacy. This could mean that people with urgent queries about medicines, including healthcare professionals, are not able to speak to someone in the pharmacy when needed.

Principle 3. Premises

Parts of the pharmacy’s premises, in particular the consultation room, are not maintained properly and do not reflect the cleanliness expected in a healthcare setting. However, 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 though it is currently behind on dispensing repeat prescriptions, and this is putting some pressure on the team. The pharmacy cannot show that some medicines needing refrigeration are always stored at the right temperatures. The pharmacy team is aware of the need for extra care when supplying certain medicines which may be higher risk. But prescriptions for these medicines are not always highlighted. So, it may be harder for team members to give people all the information they need to take their medicine safely.

Principle 5. Equipment and facilities

The pharmacy doesn’t have all the equipment it needs to provide its services safely. It cannot show that its medicine fridges are always operating correctly. And there is some scope to make sure its equipment is cleaned more effectively.