Medicines storage in care homes – keep residents safe and support busy staff
There are stringent CQC guidelines relating to how care homes manage the vaccines and medicines they administer to their residents.
And the safe storage of these products in an approved medical fridge, along with the daily monitoring of fridge temperatures, are central planks of that guidance.
Why is the correct storage of medicines important?
Many medical products are temperature sensitive, including flu and Covid vaccines, insulins, antibiotics, cancer drugs, anti-inflammatories, and glaucoma and other eye or ear drops.
They are considered ‘cold chain’ products and must be stored in stable refrigerated conditions at temperatures between +2ºC and +8ºC.
Storing the products outside this temperature range can cause them to degrade more quickly and make them less effective. For example, a vaccine might irrevocably lose its potency and fail to create the desired immune response and give protection.
The CQC guidelines – your responsibilities
The CQC states that vaccines and medicines must be stored securely in a dedicated medical fridge.
It also requires care homes to:
- Complete temperature recordings on a daily basis
- Record minimum, maximum and current temperatures
- Reset the thermometer after each reading
- Ensure staff understand the recommended temperature range, how and why they must read and reset the thermometer, and what to do if the fridge temperature falls outside the recommended range
- Keep records of any actions taken
This essential daily task can be labour and time intensive, particularly for staff with multiple responsibilities in a busy working day.
That’s why our Pharmacy Plus range has been expertly designed to take the hard work out of fridge temperature monitoring and keep vaccines and medicines stored safely and securely.
Here are just some of the benefits a Pharmacy Plus fridge offers:
Reliability and accuracy
- Bluetooth-enabled local temperature monitoring and recording to make the task quick and easy and minimise the risk of human error.
- Data can be downloaded directly to a phone or tablet and shared with authorised personnel via the Lec Medical app.
- A power failure alarm and battery backup to ensure data is protected in the event of a power cut.
Safety and security assured
- An intelligent fan system maintains a stable temperature at all times.
- Manual or digital locks restrict access to authorised personnel only, ensuring secure storage of controlled drugs.
With a wide range of models and capacities to choose from, you’ll find the fridge to meet your needs in our Pharmacy Plus range.
It will help your care home meet the highest industry standards without placing an undue burden on staff.
