Plan your delivery route before you leave the pharmacy to use your time effectively, taking into account your customers’ requested delivery times whilst ideally aiming to deliver your CD and fridge items first.

Remember to keep your vehicle locked at all times and be wary of leaving items visible to the general public. You are advised to cover any deliveries placed on car seats with a blanket or towel and keep any prescription medicines in an appropriate container kept in the boot or storage compartment.

On arrival at the customer’s house, ensure they can identify who you are by wearing your name badge and carrying your delivery book so that they feel safe to open the door to you.

Confirm the identity of the patient (e.g. by asking them to confirm their date of birth). When you hand over the items to the patient/carer/nominated person you must ensure the following:

• The name and address of patient has been confirmed.
• A signature is gained to confirm the delivery.
• Ensure you record and keep a log of the time of your delivery. An audit trail of where you were and when is essential should you need to query anything at a later date.

Answering customer queries
You may feel that you know the answer to a question raised by a customer; however it is important to refer any specific queries to your pharmacist, particularly around side effects or administration of medication. Direct the customer to the pharmacy contact details on the prescription bag so that they know who to contact if they have any queries after you leave.

Failed delivery
If no-one answers the door to take the delivery, under no circumstances can any medicines or items you are delivering be left unattended.

You must not:

• Post through the letterbox or leave unattended on a doorstep as this could be harmful if the wrong person or a pet accesses the medicines
• Leave with children under the age of 18
• Leave with neighbours unless arrangements have been made by the patient/carer.
• If you fail to deliver the medicines they must be returned to the pharmacy and signed back in by the designated person. This is especially important for the fridge items and controlled drugs so that they can be kept in the secure or appropriate environment. If circumstances arise which result in you being unable to return to the pharmacy before it closes, then you must be familiar with the risk assessment detailing the procedure for such an eventuality. This is also a reason to ensure you prioritise your CD deliveries.

Taking deliveries into the home
Your pharmacy will have determined if you are required to enter a residence to make a delivery and will advise you of any specific precautions you need to take as part of this process following a risk assessment.

It is important that the customer has been asked if there is anything that you need to be aware of when accessing the property, such as pets in the building or infectious diseases that may put you at risk. Also consider your own state of health when entering someone’s home. If you are suffering from a cold or virus this could be potentially debilitating to an individual who is already unwell if they were to catch it. Take precautionary measures and ensure you wash your hands regularly, use tissues when sneezing or coughing and use an antibacterial hand gel or spray on your hands before entering and after leaving a property. Taking additional preventative measures such as having a flu or hepatitis B vaccination before undertaking a delivery service should be discussed with your pharmacist.