Medicines Control issues authorities under Section 42(2)(a) of the Medicines Act for depots to possess prescription medicines so that they can hold prescriptions dispensed by a pharmacy for collection.

The PQA4 audit specifically requires a pharmacy supplying a depot to have documented SOPs. There must be clear documentation as to the expectations of the pharmacy from the depot(s) and what the depot can expect from the pharmacy. In particular, this includes:

• how medicines are paid and charged for, and
• an outline of how the pharmacy verifies that medicines can be sent to a particular site.

The pharmacy needs to have clear processes and records of prescriptions sent to each depot and prescriptions returned. The audit tool requires the pharmacy to maintain a record of delivery, including dispatch date, method of dispatch and delivery address.