Inspection outcome: Standards met
Last inspection: 05/06/2019
Pharmacy context
The pharmacy is in a residential area of Ipswich in Suffolk and opens on weekdays only. The pharmacy dispenses NHS prescriptions. And it provides Medicines Use Reviews (MURs) and occasional New Medicine Service (NMS) consultations. The pharmacy assembles medication in multi-compartment compliance packs for around 40 people who need help taking their medicines and it delivers medicine during the week. The pharmacy administers flu vaccinations under a patient group direction during the winter season and travel vaccines (including yellow fever) throughout the year. The pharmacy has a website but does not sell medicines online. People can ask to have their blood pressure and glucose tested. It offers a range of sexual health services including contraception under the C-Card scheme and emergency hormonal contraception.
Inspection summary findings
Principle 1. Governance
The pharmacy has safe and effective working practices. It manages risk well by doing regular reviews and it keeps people’s private information safe. It regularly asks people for their views and uses their feedback to improve its services. It keeps the records required by law to ensure that medicines are supplied safely and legally.
Principle 2. Staff
The pharmacy has enough team members to manage its workload safely. They are appropriately trained and have a good understanding about their roles and responsibilities. They make suggestions to improve workflows where appropriate. They are provided with feedback and get appraisals to identify any opportunities for development or learning.
Principle 3. Premises
The pharmacy team keeps the pharmacy secure, clean and tidy. The pharmacist has a designated area to check prescriptions to help reduce the risk of mistakes.
Principle 4. Services, including medicines management
The pharmacy gets its medicines from reputable suppliers and generally stores them properly. It takes the right action if any medicines or devices need to be returned to the suppliers. This means that people get medicines and devices that are safe to use. The team members generally follow safe practice to assemble devices which help people to take their medication. They identify and give advice to people taking higher-risk medicines to make sure that they are taken safely.
Principle 5. Equipment and facilities
The pharmacy has the right equipment for its services and generally makes sure that it is looked after properly. It uses this equipment to keep people’s private information safe.
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 |