Collecting Medication
The pharmacist and pharmacy team are responsible for preparing all prescriptions ready for delivery and it will be the pharmacist’s responsibility to use their professional judgement to decide if this medicine can be delivered safely to the individual or if they need to speak with them face to face.
The pharmacist will ensure that the prescription is labelled with clear instructions for use so the customer knows exactly what to do. It will be placed in a bag with the customer’s name and address secured on it ready for delivery and once checked these will be stored in an appropriate delivery area ready for collection by the driver.
You will need to take responsibility for these medicines and record that you have taken them from the pharmacy. The procedure will vary dependent upon the pharmacy you work in - you may have a computerised system that requires you to scan a barcode or there may be a written record book that you need to write in and sign. Drivers should always check the deliveries against the drop sheet to ensure there are the correct number of bags are ready and none have been missed.
There will be different types of medicines or products to deliver which fall into the following categories:
General Sales List Medicine (GSL): These items can be sold in pharmacies and other retail outlets such as supermarkets, without the supervision of a pharmacist. They are sometimes referred to as OTC or ‘over the counter medicines’ and examples include small quantities of basic painkillers such as paracetamol, cold relief treatments or constipation remedies.
Pharmacy Medicines (P): Pharmacy medicines are available from a pharmacy without a prescription and can only be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist, an example would be antibiotic eye drops. These medicines are kept behind the counter and the pharmacist or trained staff will need to check the medicine is appropriate for the customer and their health problem.
Prescription Only Medicine (POM): These medicines can only be supplied to a customer if they are prescribed by a GP or other healthcare professional. Controlled drugs are a group of POM medications that have the potential for misuse. There are additional rules and procedures for prescribing, storing and delivering these drugs.