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Communication is key to managing patient expectations, says Joanne Taylor, who was involved in her pharmacy group's recent audit on waiting times

Vittoria Healthcare ran a oneweek audit in its 16 pharmacies to compare the estimated waiting time given to a patient for their prescription compared to the actual waiting time. While the numbers and reasons behind waiting times were of interest, the main aim was to improve communication between dispensary staff, counter staff and the patient. The reasons for both speedy delivery and delays varied, but single item prescriptions and the pack size matching the amount prescribed were two common reasons that kept prescriptions flying out of the dispensary, as well as 'fast mover' sections.

Some of our branches have this section in the dispensary, which contains popular medicines based on regional prescribing trends. I have never been a fan of the fast mover section as I work in quite a few branches and often struggle to find an item on the shelf, only to be told: €Oh, it's a fast mover€. I curse to myself in frustration as I remove the item from the shelf. Yet our audit showed that this was the third highest reason for speed. Obviously, the staff who took part in the audit are all regulars who are used to the idiosyncrasies of their pharmacy. The reasons for delays were, more often than not, that the pharmacist was doing other things (often MURs and patient consultations) and was unable to carry out the final accuracy check immediately. Branches that were fortunate enough to have an ACT were able to free up the pharmacist considerably.

Stock availability was also an issue. This highlighted the need to keep stock levels accurate wherever possible €“ but this is easier said than done when so many manufacturing supply problems occur. Overall, pharmacy staff gave fairly accurate waiting times to patients and communicated well with their colleagues in the dispensary to update and inform patients of any delays. This communication is vital as it is the difference between a patient being happy with how long they waited for their prescription to being disappointed with the service.

The audit made us think about communication between colleagues and the skill mix in each pharmacy. What could you do to improve on this in your pharmacy? What action points could you set following a similar audit? Could time be managed more productively so waiting times are managed more effectively?

Joanne is a registered pharmacy technician and ACPT, and is professional standards lead at Vittoria Healthcare. She is national secretary for the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), and is a member of the Medicines Rebalancing Programme Board at the Department of Health as well as TM's editorial advisory panel.