Retail Pharmacy Store Visit Checklist

What is a retail pharmacy store visit checklist?

A retail pharmacy store visit checklist is a structured audit tool that lets you assess the operational, clinical, and regulatory standards of a pharmacy in a single, organised visit. It covers every part of the premises — the shop floor, consultation room, dispensary, and staff areas — and combines NHS workflow compliance, over-the-counter merchandising and availability, pharmacy services delivery, colleague development, professional governance, and store presentation into one comprehensive review. The checklist is grouped into ten sections: Action Plan, NHS Workflow & Compliance, Over-the-Counter (OTC) Standards, Pharmacy Services Delivery, Colleague Development & Training, Professional Standards & Governance, Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) Review, Communications & Engagement, First Impressions Assessment, and RSC Focus Areas. Each section contains items that you answer simply as Yes, No, or N/A, making it straightforward to record findings and build an action plan from any gaps you identify.

Why store visit audits matter

A pharmacy operates under a dense web of clinical, regulatory, and operational obligations. Regular store visits give you a reliable way to confirm that those obligations are being met day to day, not just when an inspection is imminent. The checklist highlights several areas where routine monitoring protects both patients and the business: - **Patient safety.** Daily prescription reconciliation, a near-miss log reviewed by the responsible pharmacist, controlled drug management in line with current regulatory requirements, and expiry date checking all reduce the risk of dispensing errors and expired stock reaching patients. - **Regulatory compliance.** NHS contract changes, NUMSAS, DMIRS, and GPDMIRS protocols, Pharmacy Access Scheme performance, and Pharmacy Quality Scheme activity all carry compliance expectations. A structured review helps you confirm that these are implemented and followed. - **Service quality.** Confirming that MURs, NMS, and Locally Commissioned Services are properly established and that colleagues are engaged with them ensures patients receive the full range of services available to them. - **Operational health.** Planogram adherence, promotional execution, product availability targets, and daily goods-in reconciliation keep the store running efficiently and commercially. - **Colleague development.** Scheduled training, annual development reviews, and protected learning time build a capable, confident team.

What a thorough store visit covers

A complete visit touches every operational and clinical corner of the pharmacy. The checklist organises this into distinct sections so you can work through them methodically. **NHS workflow and compliance.** Confirm that all prescriptions are fully issued and reconciled on a daily basis, that the Top 150 ethical lines are maintained at 100% availability, and that outstanding owings are managed through a clear process. Verify the EPS nomination and sign-up process, dispensed bag clearance against the 4-week target, brand switching and levy loss monitoring through the structured SRP process, and ethical physical inventory counts within designated timescales. End-of-month back office procedures and commissioning platform submissions have specific deadlines to meet. The Pharmacy Access Scheme should be maintained at a minimum of 50%. **OTC standards.** All current planograms must be fully implemented and all active promotions executed in accordance with the P7 promotional checklist. Product availability targets sit at 98% overall and 100% for Top 150 lines. Physical inventory counts are required for all OTC stock categories, and the planogram out-of-stock report should be reviewed with all outstanding actions resolved. Daily goods-in processes must be completed and reconciled. **Pharmacy services delivery.** MURs and NMS processes should be established with appropriate stamps and patient stickers actively in use. Colleagues need to demonstrate knowledge and active engagement with Locally Commissioned Services, and there should be active engagement with the private services portfolio including travel health, wellness programmes, and hearing solutions. NHS contract changes must be implemented and followed, covering NUMSAS, DMIRS, and GPDMIRS protocols. **Colleague development and training.** Mandatory knowledge assessments and e-learning modules must be completed at 100% by the 15th of each month. Training and professional development plans should be progressing on schedule, annual Colleague Development reviews conducted and documented, staff rotas published 6 weeks in advance with protected learning time allocated, and induction and probationary reviews completed within required timeframes. **Professional standards and governance.** The near-miss log is completed daily and formally reviewed by the responsible pharmacist. Controlled drug management is reviewed in line with current regulatory requirements. Expiry date checking must be up to date with the date-checking poster updated and prominently displayed. Health and safety checks are completed daily with the compliance poster updated. Five PSA key professional questions are reviewed and documented, new Standard Operating Procedures are implemented and acknowledged by all relevant team members, and regulatory and compliance stickers are verified and current. **Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) review.** The Healthy Living Pharmacy framework must be maintained with leaders and champions identified and actively engaged. The asthma tracker should be in active use with appropriate patient stickers applied. CPPE training updates need to be completed by both pharmacists and support colleagues. NHSmail accounts must be accessible and functional for all authorised colleagues, and Summary Care Record access verified for all authorised clinical staff. **Communications and engagement.** Store performance metrics are updated and communicated to all team members. Weekly newsletters and store visit reports are circulated and reviewed. Internal and external email communications are reviewed and actioned promptly. The operational diary is actively maintained for daily task tracking, and communications effectiveness is verified through a cold-call check by the Cluster or Regional Manager. **First impressions assessment.** This section covers the external storefront and entrance, shop floor merchandising, consultation room cleanliness and readiness, dispensary organisation and compliance standards, colleague break rooms and staff areas, external yard and storage area maintenance, colleague appearance and professional presentation, customer queue management and wait time standards, and window displays and overall storefront cleanliness. **RSC focus areas.** Review the compliance management system, Pharmacy to Practice initiatives, the colleague induction process, brand switching and retrospective billing, and prescription endorsing processes for accuracy and compliance.

How to carry out a store visit

1. **Prepare in advance.** Review the action plan from your previous visit, along with any outstanding items. Note the current promotional checklist, planogram updates, and any recent communications that need to be actioned. 2. **Record visit details.** At the start of the visit, log the date, who prepared the visit, and the location so the record is complete and traceable. 3. **Work through each section methodically.** Start with NHS workflow and compliance, since this underpins safe dispensing. Confirm prescription reconciliation, EPS nomination activity, dispensed bag clearance, and inventory counts. Then move to OTC standards, checking planogram implementation, promotional execution, and availability against the 98% and 100% targets. 4. **Observe the physical environment.** Walk the storefront, shop floor, consultation room, dispensary, break rooms, and external yard. Assess cleanliness, organisation, merchandising, colleague presentation, and queue management against the first impressions items. 5. **Review governance records.** Check the near-miss log, controlled drug management, expiry date checking poster, health and safety poster, five PSA key professional questions, Standard Operating Procedures, and regulatory stickers. Confirm that new SOPs have been acknowledged by all relevant team members. 6. **Verify training and development records.** Confirm that mandatory assessments and e-learning are at 100% by the 15th, that annual Colleague Development reviews are documented, that rotas are published 6 weeks ahead with protected learning time, and that inductions and probationary reviews are complete. 7. **Check Pharmacy Quality Scheme and communications activities.** Confirm Healthy Living Pharmacy leadership, asthma tracker use, CPPE training completion, NHSmail and Summary Care Record access, and that store performance metrics, newsletters, and the operational diary are up to date. 8. **Review RSC focus areas and close out.** Check the compliance management system, Pharmacy to Practice progress, induction effectiveness, brand switching and retrospective billing, and prescription endorsing. Answer each remaining item as Yes, No, or N/A, record the signature, and build an action plan from any items marked No.

Regulatory context

Retail pharmacies in the UK operate under the oversight of the General Pharmaceutical Council and carry NHS contractual obligations. This checklist references several regulatory and contractual frameworks that you should verify against current guidance: - **NHS pharmaceutical services**, including EPS nominations, MURs, NMS, the Pharmacy Access Scheme, NUMSAS, DMIRS, GPDMIRS, and the Pharmacy Quality Scheme. - **Controlled drug management**, reviewed in line with current regulatory requirements. - **Health and safety**, with daily checks and a compliance poster that must be kept updated. - **Standard Operating Procedures**, which must be implemented and acknowledged by all relevant team members. - **Professional standards**, including the five PSA key professional questions, near-miss logging, and expiry date verification. Always confirm the specific requirements of each framework from the relevant governing body or your NHS contract documentation, as these can change.

Frequently Asked Questions

A retail pharmacy store visit checklist is a structured tool for auditing the operational, clinical, and regulatory standards of a pharmacy. It walks you through the dispensary, shop floor, consultation room, and staff areas, covering everything from prescription reconciliation and controlled drug management to planogram adherence, promotional execution, and colleague training. The checklist mirrors the areas a cluster or regional manager would examine during a formal store visit.

Regular, structured visits help you catch compliance gaps before they become regulatory or patient safety issues. The checklist prompts you to verify that prescriptions are issued and reconciled daily, that controlled drugs are managed in line with current requirements, that expiry date checking is up to date, and that health and safety checks are completed. It also covers NHS workflow obligations such as EPS nominations, MURs, NMS, the Pharmacy Access Scheme, and Pharmacy Quality Scheme activity, so nothing falls through the cracks between visits.

A thorough store visit covers ten areas: an action plan for outstanding items; NHS workflow and compliance including EPS nominations, dispensed bag clearance, and end-of-month procedures; over-the-counter standards covering planograms, promotions, and availability targets; pharmacy services delivery including MURs, NMS, and locally commissioned services; colleague development and training such as mandatory e-learning and annual development reviews; professional standards and governance including near-miss logging, controlled drugs, and Standard Operating Procedures; Pharmacy Quality Scheme review; communications and engagement; first impressions assessment of the storefront, shop floor, consultation room, dispensary, and staff areas; and RSC focus areas spanning compliance management, Pharmacy to Practice initiatives, induction, brand switching, and prescription endorsing.

Work through each section systematically, starting with your action plan from the previous visit. In the NHS workflow section, confirm that prescriptions are fully issued and reconciled, that EPS nominations meet the minimum target of 10 new nominations per week, and that end-of-month back office procedures are completed by 12:00 PM on the 1st. For OTC standards, verify that all current planograms are implemented and that overall product availability is at 98%, with Top 150 lines at 100%. Check pharmacy services delivery by confirming that MURs and NMS processes are established and that colleagues are engaged with Locally Commissioned Services. Review colleague development, confirming that mandatory knowledge assessments and e-learning modules are completed at 100% by the 15th of each month. Under professional standards, check that the near-miss log is completed daily and reviewed by the responsible pharmacist, that controlled drug management is in line with regulatory requirements, and that the expiry date checking poster is updated and displayed. Complete the Pharmacy Quality Scheme review, communications and engagement checks, first impressions assessment, and RSC focus areas before signing off the visit.

The checklist covers NHS compliance including EPS nominations, MURs, NMS, the Pharmacy Access Scheme, NUMSAS, DMIRS, and GPDMIRS protocols, as well as controlled drug management, expiry date verification, health and safety checks, the Pharmacy Quality Scheme, Healthy Living Pharmacy framework, Summary Care Record access, and mandatory e-learning. Each of these has its own regulatory underpinning, so you should always confirm the current requirements from the relevant governing body rather than relying on the checklist alone.

Written by

Arne Reis

Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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