Hayward Chemist Ltd.GPhC

Pharmacy context

The pharmacy is situated close to a suburban railway station in a residential area. There are parking restrictions between 1pm and 2pm otherwise there is free parking on the surrounding roads. The pharmacy dispenses prescriptions for NHS and private prescriptions as well as providing seasonal flu vaccinations. They also provide medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs for a large number of people in their own homes and to some care homes. The pharmacy also provides a dispensing service and needle exchange for people using the drug and alcohol service. The new owners had taken over about one year before the inspection.

Standards by principle

• Principle 1 – Governance

  Standards met

  Generally, the members of the pharmacy team work to professional standards and identify and manage risks. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities but there are not always written procedures to tell staff how they should operate. They usually discuss mistakes they make during the pharmacy processes but do not always log them. They learn from these mistakes to avoid problems being repeated. The pharmacy usually keeps its records up to date and these show that it is providing safe services, but some private prescriptions are not recorded. It adequately manages and protects private information. The team members also understand how they can help to protect the welfare of vulnerable people.

• Principle 2 – Staff

  Standards met

  The pharmacy has enough qualified staff to provide safe services. It has effective staff communication. The pharmacy team have some ongoing training but this is limited. A more robust approach would ensure that staff are able to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

• Principle 3 – Premises

  Standards met

  The premises are clean and provide an appropriate environment for people to receive healthcare. The space available in the dispensary is only just large enough for the volume of prescriptions being dispensed so may not be sufficient if there is an increase in activity.  The clutter in the consultation room detracts from the professional image and would need to be addressed before offering services such as seasonal flu vaccinations.

• Principle 4 – Services

  Standards met

  Overall, the pharmacy’s working practices are safe and effective, and it gets its medicines from reputable sources. Pharmacy team members dispense medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs in an organised manner. And there are contingency plans in place for supplying medicines in emergencies. The pharmacy could do more to make sure that people who take higher-risk medicines get all the advice they need.

• Principle 5 – Equipment

  Standards met

  The pharmacy generally has the right equipment for its services. It makes sure its equipment is safe to use.

Inspection history summary