A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of guidelines that details exactly how to carry out a procedure, like a set of instructions. They are essential in a regulated environment to ensure everyone carries out procedures in the correct way with the aim of reducing mistakes.

The regulatory bodies will expect a pharmacy to have written SOPs for all procedures and will check them during an inspection. They will also want to ensure that the pharmacy team have a good awareness of the SOPs relevant to them and know where to find information if they need it, so it is important that you are familiar with all SOPs relating to the delivery service.

Where is the SOP for delivering medicines kept in your pharmacy?

Ensure that you have read this in detail and fully understand the procedure you must follow. If you have any questions, make sure you speak to the pharmacist.

The SOP for delivering medicines will detail what to do from the start to the finish of a delivery and covers a number of areas which will be covered during this module. You should check if your pharmacy has a separate SOP for delivery of controlled drugs as there are additional porcesses for handling these.