Buxton & GrantGPhC

Pharmacy context

This is a community pharmacy in a busy, affluent shopping area close to the centre of the city of Bristol. Most of its regular customers were elderly but university students also used the pharmacy. They dispense NHS prescriptions, including homeopathic items and sell a range of over-the-counter medicines and other products. The pharmacy supplies medicines in multi-compartment devices to help vulnerable people in their own homes to take their medicines and medicines to people living in several local care homes.

Standards by principle

• Principle 1 – Governance

  Standards met

  The pharmacy team identify and manage risks satisfactorily. The team members encourage people to give feedback but don’t always use this to improve their services. The pharmacy team keep people’s private information safe and they know how to protect vulnerable people. The pharmacy is appropriately insured to protect people if things go wrong. The team keep the up-to-date records that they must keep by law.

• Principle 2 – Staff

  Standards met

  The pharmacy has good levels of well qualified staff and they manage their workload safely. The pharmacy has contingency arrangements to cope with any illness or holiday. The staff are encouraged to keep their skills up-to-date and do this in work time. They also attend regular learning evenings. The pharmacist supports the team members who are training. The pharmacy team work well together. They are comfortable about providing feedback to their manager and this is acted on to improve the services at the pharmacy.

• Principle 3 – Premises

  Standards met

  The pharmacy looks professional. It is generally tidy and organised. There is good signposting to the consultation room so it is clear to people that there is somewhere private for them to talk.

• Principle 4 – Services

  Standards met

  Most people can access the services the pharmacy offers. But, some people with specific mobility needs may have difficulty entering the pharmacy and accessing the consultation room. The pharmacy team make sure that people have the information that they need to use their medicines safely and effectively. They intervene if they are worried or think that they may not be not taking or using their medicines as prescribed by their doctors. The pharmacy has proactive and collaborative procedures to make sure that people are only prescribed current medicines. This reduces the risk of historic medicines being inadvertently prescribed. And, the pharmacist has received an award for this which recognises how this improves outcomes for patients and acts a model for other pharmacies to learn from. The pharmacy gets its medicines from appropriate suppliers. The medicines are stored and disposed of safely.  The pharmacy team make sure that people only get medicines or devices that are safe.

• Principle 5 – Equipment

  Standards met

  The pharmacy has the appropriate equipment and facilities for the services it provides. ​

Inspection history summary