Home healthcare and pharmacy
85%
fewer temperature incidents for a home healthcare provider
“Sematics has completely taken the stress out of temperature monitoring.”
Regulation: MHRA GDP
Read the case study storyFor care homes, home healthcare and community pharmacy
Medicines stored at the right temperature, and the CQC can see it
The CQC expects medicines kept at the temperature the manufacturer sets, with fridge readings recorded and problems acted on. 85% fewer temperature incidents: that is what a home healthcare provider has seen since moving its monitoring to JTF.
- Medicine fridges and rooms monitored around the clock
- Alarms to a named person, not a log nobody reads
- Records ready for a CQC inspection
Medicines fridge, treatment room09:12
4.4°C
What inspectors ask you
What the CQC checks on medicine storage
- Reg 12(2)(g)
Proper and safe management of medicines
Part of safe care and treatment: medicines stored so they stay safe and effective, including at the right temperature.
- CQC guidance
Storing medicines in care homes
Fridge medicines at 2 to 8 °C, temperatures recorded daily, and room temperature kept below the manufacturer's limit.
- SPS guidance
Fridge readings and action
Current, minimum and maximum readings recorded, and advice sought when a reading is out of range before medicines are used.
- GDP
Home healthcare with a wholesale licence
Providers holding a wholesale dealer's authorisation are inspected by the MHRA against GDP for storage and delivery.
Read the guide
Medicines storage
Fewer incidents, and a record the CQC can follow
From the provider's published case study (name withheld).
025810
- Storage range, 2 to 8 °C
- Alarm limits inside it
What we monitor
Every place medicines are kept
Medicine fridges
Each fridge with 2 to 8 °C limits and an alarm to the person on shift, day or night.
Treatment and medicine rooms
Room temperature, so a hot summer week doesn't quietly put stock above its limit.
Community pharmacy fridges
Dispensary and vaccine fridges, with the daily record kept for you.
Home healthcare stores and vehicles
Warehouses, cold rooms and delivery vehicles on one record, from store to patient.
Services for this sector
One team for monitoring, mapping, calibration and support
Temperature monitoring
Wireless sensors, alarms that reach a person and an audit trail of who acted.
Explore the serviceUKAS calibration
Temperature calibration in our UKAS accredited calibration laboratory No. 10723, or on your site.
Explore the serviceInstallation and support
Design, installation, training and engineer cover from one UK team.
Explore the serviceService agreements
What each tier covers and how fast we respond, in plain words.
Explore the service
Free checklist
MHRA GDP and Green Book temperature checklist
One page on what the guidance expects for medicine and vaccine storage, and what to record during an excursion.
Questions
What people in your sector ask us
Do care homes have to monitor fridges continuously?
The CQC asks for daily records and action when readings are out of range. Continuous monitoring keeps that record for you and catches the nights and weekends a daily check misses.
What happens when a medicine fridge goes out of range?
The person on shift gets the alarm, the readings show how far and how long, and the record holds what they did and the advice they took. See temperature excursions.
Can you cover many homes or branches?
Yes. Each site keeps its own fridges and alarm routes, and managers see every site on one record.
Are the sensors calibrated?
Calibration for every sensor we supply: traceable to national standards as standard, or UKAS accredited where you need it (temperature in our own UKAS accredited calibration laboratory No. 10723; other parameters through accredited partners).
Sources
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 12 (safe care and treatment)
- CQC: Storing medicines in care homes and adult social care
- NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service: Using a refrigerator or freezer to store medicines
- EU Guidelines on Good Distribution Practice of medicinal products for human use (2013/C 343/01), applied in Great Britain by the MHRA
20-minute compliance check
Could you show a CQC inspector your fridge records today?
In 20 minutes we go through your fridges, records and what happens when one fails. You get the gaps in writing. No product tour.