Principle five is designed to ensure that all equipment and facilities required by the pharmacy team to safely provide a pharmacy service are available and appropriately maintained. Examples of this would include availability of accurate liquid medicine measures, counting triangles, BNF, drug tariff, and also equipment for the provision of services for disabled patients such as ramps, electric doors, hearing aid loops etc.

Dispensary staff should be aware that they should have separate counting triangles for cytotoxic drugs and also be able to explain why and for which drugs they would use these triangles.

The inspector may also ask to see records demonstrating how pharmacy equipment is maintained, such as records of blood pressure monitors being recalibrated or weighing scales being checked for accuracy as this demonstrates that the equipment is being maintained correctly.

Many of the standards covered under principle five have also been highlighted under the other four principles, for example restricted access to the dispensary and the use, storage and disposal of confidential patient information.