BootsGPhC

Pharmacy context

This is a medium sized pharmacy on the High Street of the town of Largs. It dispenses a large volume of NHS prescriptions per month, including for people receiving medicines in multi-compartmental compliance packs. It also supports people receiving supervised methadone doses.  It provides the usual services found under the local health board Pharmacy First Scheme, including the minor ailments service. It does not administer vaccinations. The pharmacy manager is an independent pharmacist prescriber and runs a hypertension clinic to monitor people’s blood pressure.

Standards by principle

• Principle 1 – Governance

  Standards met

  Members of the pharmacy team are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They work to professional standards and identify and manage risks effectively. The pharmacy team members log any mistakes they make during the dispensing process. They learn from these and act to avoid repeating errors. The pharmacy keeps its records up to date and these show that it is providing safe services. The pharmacy enables people to give feedback. And it uses this feedback to improve the services it offers. It tells people how it uses their private information. The pharmacy team members understand how they can help to protect the welfare of vulnerable people.

• Principle 2 – Staff

  Standards met

  There are enough pharmacy team members for the services provided. The pharmacy team members are competent. And they have the appropriate skills and qualifications for their roles. They work effectively together in a supportive environment. And undertake regular learning both in-store and at home. They learn from near miss reviews and from p​eople’s feedback. And they act to improve safety. They also feedback their own ideas and act on them to improve their services.

• Principle 3 – Premises

  Standards met

  The premises are tidy and provide a clean environment for the services offered. The pharmacy is protected from unauthorised entry. And Controlled Drugs are properly secured. But facilities to aid entry to the pharmacy need to be better maintained.

• Principle 4 – Services

  Standards met

  The pharmacy provides the normal range of services under the Scottish contract. The accessibility of the property may be restricted for some people due to non-operating features of the pharmacy. The pharmacy team members use a range of safe working practices. These include use of audit trails and baskets for dispensing. These assist with the near miss process and in preventing items becoming mixed. The pharmacy has an effective process for the dispensing and delivery of multi-compartmental compliance packs. This includes having accurate descriptions for medicines in the pack so that people can identify them. And a robust way of recording requests for change of medication. The pharmacy team ensure high-risk medications including those containing valproate are appropriately managed.

• Principle 5 – Equipment

  Standards met

  The pharmacy has sufficient resources in place to effectively provide the services on offer. However, the calibration status of some of its equipment is not clear.

Inspection history summary