Workplace Regulations - Standard Operating Procedures Flashcards
What is a standard operating procedure?
- A standard operating procedure (SOP) specifies in writing what
should be done, when, where and by whom.
What are the benefits to having an SOP? (8)
*help to assure the quality and consistency of the service
*help to ensure that good practice is achieved at all times
*provide an opportunity to fully utilise the expertise of all members of the pharmacy
*enable pharmacists to delegate and may free up time for other activities
* help to avoid confusion over who does what (role clarification)
* provide advice and guidance to locums and part-time staff
* are useful tools for training new members of staff
* provide a contribution to the audit process
Who should be in charge of writing SOPs?
- The development of SOPs should be overseen by the responsible
pharmacist. - Alternatively, the superintendent pharmacist will be accountable for
ensuring that SOPs are developed and implemented. - It is good practice to involve all staff involved in the dispensing
process in the preparation of SOPs or tailoring of SOP templates. - This will help to engage staff and ensure that the procedures
specified are followed
What are must covers in legislation of SOPs?
- Arrangements for medicinal products
- Advice given by non-pharmacists
- Staff competence for tasks
- Record keeping
- Responsible Pharmacist absence arrangements
- Responsible Pharmacist handover
- Complaint’s procedures
- Incident management
- Changes to the procedures
What are the arrangements of medicinal products?
- The arrangements to secure that medicinal products are -
- ordered
- stored
- prepared
- sold by retail
- supplied in circumstances corresponding to retail sale
- delivered outside the pharmacy and
- disposed of in a safe and effective manner
What are the staff competence for tasks (sop related)?
- Pharmacists who delegate parts of the dispensing process to
others are required to document (within an SOP) the tasks
that can be delegated and to which staff. - This process provides an opportunity to clarify roles within the
pharmacy. - Staff will be clearer as to when they should refer to the
pharmacist and be more aware of the limits of their own
competence.
What are some pharmacy procedures in practice we must have in place?
- Dispensing
- Receipt of the prescription
- Therapeutic review
- Transfer of the medicine
- Patient counselling.
- Dispensing high-risk medicines (Methotrexate etc.),
- Dispensing controlled drugs
- Sourcing of medicines
- Storage of medicines
- Expiry date checking
- Sale and supply of non-prescription medicinal products
- Sale and supply of non-prescription codeine containing medicines
- Management of controlled drugs (including storage and record keeping
*pest control policy
*confidentiality procedure
AND MANY MORE!
What should SOPs be?
SOPs should:
* Be pharmacy specific
* Be dependent on the competence of the staff working in that
pharmacy;
* Under normal circumstances, be applicable at all times, i.e. not
dependent on the presence of the pharmacist under whose
authority the procedure was prepared.
What should be considered when preparing the SOPs?
- Objectives
- Scope
- Process
- Responsibility
- Training
- Review
How often should the SOP be reviewed and + what should be identified?
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society recommend once every two years or if an
incident occurs. - The pharmacy procedures should identify:
- the Responsible Pharmacist who reviewed the procedure,
- the procedures in place
- which procedures were previously in place
What is a temporary adjustment + what to do?
- E.g. Staff off sick
- Use professional judgement
- Maintain an audit trail to identify:
- Which procedures are in place
- Which procedures were previously in place
- The Responsible Pharmacist who amended the procedure
- The date on which the amendment was made
