A recent letter from the GPhC inspectors got Joanne Taylor reminiscing about inspection days gone by

The letter has arrived and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) inspector will soon be on his or her way to one of our Vittoria Healthcare branches. Despite feeling some trepidation towards this upcoming inspection, the inspector’s letter is actually good news to me as it takes me back to contented thoughts about the very start of my pharmacy career. While still in my training in the most wonderful independent community pharmacy, a very well dressed gentleman appeared.

I had heard about the pharmacy inspections from the then Royal Pharmaceutical Society, but had not yet experienced one. The gentleman showed me his card and after looking around the pharmacy continued into the dispensary to talk to the pharmacist. I wasn’t involved in much of the inspection – at that time it concentrated on the pharmacist and I just listened to the conversation, eagerly waiting to answer any of his questions.

I remember that it was January, as after the Christmas period I always used to fill our window display with pharmacy antiquities – reminiscent of a pharmacy in days gone by. This had caught the inspector’s eye on his way in and at the end of his visit we had an inspiring conversation about the changes that had occurred in pharmacy over the years. How little I knew then of the future changes that would occur in the profession in the years ahead.

Ever since that very first encounter with the pharmacy inspector all those years ago, I have continued to look forward to inspection visits and see them as positive experiences. I have endeavoured to share my enthusiasm with my colleagues and now at Vittoria Healthcare I am keen to encourage staff to view the impending visit positively and confidently. The GPhC inspections nowadays encompass the whole pharmacy team.

This is fantastic as it gives all our staff the opportunity to demonstrate their ways of working and showcase all the good aspects of the pharmacy. It makes everyone think about the reasons why we do something a certain way and also makes us all reflect on any processes that could be improved on. Most importantly, it encourages all staff to ensure they are working as a team for the benefit of the patient.

A warm welcome awaits the GPhC inspector in our pharmacies!