STORAGE OR MEDICINES

Separation of Stock

Medicine packs are often muddled and un-separated which can easily lead to picking errors. Dispensaries sometimes use domestic shelving and drawers which are easily cluttered.

It is highly recommended to use furniture specifically designed for dispensaries. Shallow overbench units provide effective medicine picking systems, combined with plastic separators to prevent the packs from being muddled helps prevent handling errors and assists stock rotation.

Modern pharmacies are moving towards pullout shelf and drawer systems to increase efficiency and reduce errors within the dispensary. Such systems are ideal in dispensaries where floor space is at a premium as the system are designed for high capcity medicine store using a minimum floor area.

We supply a wide range of shelving, sloping pull-out shelves and pharmacy drawer systems. Pharmacy Shelving & Drawers.

Refrigerated Stock

Temperature sensitive stock must be stored in a pharmacy refrigerator, these are designed specifically to store medicines at an accurate temperature between 2-8°C with a stable uniform temperature distribution.

Most pharmacy fridges are available on a 2-5 year garantee dependant on the brand, the reliability in temperature control help prevent the loss of often very expensive stock due to in-correct storage. A domestic fridge should not be used to store medicines are they are designed to store food, the operating temperature and fluctations could easily ruin medicines.

Pharmacy Fridges

Controlled Drug Storage

All products described as “controlled drug storage” cabinets either meet or exceed the statutory requirement for the storage of controlled drugs, "The Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973"

The MDA 1971 and subsequent Regulations lay down the rules for safe custody of CDs.

All Schedule 2 and those Schedule 3 CDs that are subject to safe custody requirements must be kept in a locked receptacle, which is so constructed and maintained as to prevent unauthorised access to drugs.

General Requirements and/or recommendations are that:

The receptacle should consist of a locked safe/cabinet preferably of steel, with suitable hinges, fixed to a solid wall or floor with rag bolts (these bolts should not be accessible from outside the cabinet).
Ideally the safe/cabinet should be within a cupboard or in such other position as to avoid easy detection by intruders
The room containing the safe/cabinet should be lockable and tidy around the safe/cabinet area to avoid drugs being misplaced
The walls of the room should be constructed to a suitable thickness using suitable materials
Nothing should be displayed outside to indicate that controlled drugs are kept within the receptacle and the locked cabinet should not be one that staff routinely access for other items
The locked receptacle must only be opened by the person in lawful possession of the CDs or an otherwise authorised person.

Stock should be kept to a minimum and the cabinet should not contain anything other than the drugs, or the drugs and the register (the register does not have to be kept locked with the drugs). Items such as money should not be stored in the CD cabinet Tamper evident manufacturer seals must be left intact on receipt of CD, and only opened at time of supply/administration. Regular stock checks should be carried out at least weekly.

All services/practices must have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place for management of CD stock held on the premises.

The number of sets of keys to the locked cabinet, and who holds them, must be known at all times. The keys should always be kept separate from the cabinet and should never be accessible to unauthorised persons. The SOP must specify who is authorised to hold keys.

Controlled drugs in a patient’s home

CDs that have been prescribed for a patient remain the property of that patient. Staff caring for that patient should advise the patient and/or their carer(s) as to safe storage of CDs and other medicines.

If in doubt please ask your governing body or local inspector for advice.

Pharmacy Pull-out Shelf System Room Setups