As pharmacy teams prepare to implement the new Standards for the Operation of Licensed Pharmacies (SOLP) on February 1, 2025, licensees must ensure that both their pharmacy teams and their pharmacy’s physical space are prepared for implementation.
ACP deputy registrar Jeff Whissell explained that the new SOLP were designed with clarity and useability in mind.
“Information about the pharmacy’s practice environment is presented in Domain 3, and this is expanded on further in the Foundational requirements,” said Jeff. “This domain covers everything from creating a safe and professional work environment to the physical specifications of the pharmacy and dispensary.”
Domain 3 of the new SOLP requires licensed pharmacies to have a design and appearance that enables an inclusive, culturally safe practice environment. The pharmacy’s physical space must be conducive to patient wellness, maintain patient privacy, and support regulated members in providing effective professional services. As licensees prepare to implement the new standards, it is important to carefully review the requirements for the pharmacy’s physical space in advance.
Anuvir Bhullar is a pharmacy practice consultant (PPC) with ACP. In his role, Anuvir assesses pharmacies and the practices of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for compliance with all applicable legislation, standards, and guidelines. PPCs help pharmacy teams meet ACP’s standards through quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives.
Anuvir discussed how he and his PPC colleagues will continue to prioritize person-centred care during assessments. He explored what he and his colleagues will consider when inspecting the pharmacy’s physical space and what it looks like to have a safe, inclusive, and person-centred pharmacy environment.
“Domain 3 emphasizes that the pharmacy space reflects your practice. The expectations to have sufficient space and to create a safe and accessible environment are not new, but the new standards reframe and reinforce these requirements.”
Having adequate space and an effective layout in the pharmacy is an important place to start.
“There is a significant benefit to having enough room to work together and store your drugs and your records,” said Anuvir. “Those considerations are important because they reduce the risk of errors—when you have enough space, you’re not piling up baskets or storing different medications together—your risk of making mistakes is decreased.”
An effective layout with sufficient space is also essential from the patient’s perspective to enable inclusive, quality pharmacy care.
“Having a well-planned layout is also essential for patient privacy. Ensuring there is enough distance between your drop-off and pick-up areas and between your waiting area and your dispensary help to ensure your conversations with patients are private,” said Anuvir. “Sufficient space also ensures patients who have mobility needs and use aids can navigate the pharmacy space.”
When inspecting the pharmacy, Anuvir said PPCs will continue to focus on how the pharmacy enables effective patient care and aligns with standards.
“When we inspect pharmacies, we will continue to look at how everything ties into person-centred care. We ask questions like, ‘How does the workflow impact the patient, and how could it be improved?’” said Anuvir.
Anuvir said the new standards emphasize the importance of factoring person-centred care into the pharmacy’s day-to-day workflow.
“In the past, there was more focus on dispensing. Workflow and layouts were often designed to make dispensing medications as efficient as possible,” said Anuvir. “Licensees and pharmacy teams need to think about how their pharmacy can prioritize person-centred care.”
Anuvir discussed what an effective patient-centred workflow looks like in practice.
“As an example, the workflow in many pharmacies often involves the patient interacting with an unregulated employee when they drop off their prescription. From there, the medication is prepared. A pharmacist may only interact with the patient if the patient has concerns about the medication,” said Anuvir. “With a person-centred approach, the pharmacist would be the first point of contact for the patient so the pharmacist can proactively answer questions, conduct a clinical assessment, and plan for the patient’s care. This approach also empowers pharmacy technicians to use their scope to be responsible for the preparation and checking of the medication while the pharmacist provides care to the patient.”
Anuvir also mentioned that there is more than one way to achieve quality person-centred care.
“It’s not black and white. Your pharmacy’s layout and structure and workflow can be set up in different ways, as long as delivering quality person-centred care is the guiding principle,” he said.
Overall, licensees will need to ensure their pharmacy’s operations align with the new standards. This may require changes to the physical layout of the pharmacy. For example, the new SOLP require that drugs are displayed and advertised independently of homeopathic products by means of physical separation or signage such that a member of the public can easily distinguish drugs in the pharmacy from homeopathic products.
Jeff explained why this separation is important.
“Pharmacy professionals are expected to practise using evidence-based information and homeopathic products don’t require the same level of evidence,” said Jeff. “This is why the new standards require a clear separation between drugs and homeopathic products.”
Jeff adds that the separation is important for both patients and regulated members.
“When drugs and homeopathic products are side by side, patients may not realize that there are important differences. We have also found that, at times, regulated members had difficulty differentiating a homeopathic product from a drug due to the similarity of packaging,” said Jeff. “This new requirement will make it really clear not only to the public, but to our regulated members, that these are different products with a different level of evidence.”
Anuvir reminded licensees that if renovations are required, giving yourself enough time is critical.
“If your pharmacy requires renovations, that takes a lot of proactive planning. Any changes to the physical facilities, proposed use of space, or layout of a licensed pharmacy are considered renovations and require advance notice and approval prior to implementing these changes,” said Anuvir. “The licensee should submit a complete application to renovate the pharmacy to ACP at least 45 days before construction begins. Then there is the process of working with contractors to complete the renovation and, after the renovation is complete, a PPC needs to complete an inspection.”
Anuvir said his biggest piece of advice for licensees is to be proactive.
“Review the standards with your team and start creating habits or planning changes to your pharmacy space now. Don’t leave it until you have an inspection,” said Anuvir. “Proactively build your habits and workflows with person-centred care as the guiding principle, in accordance with the new standards.”
