Pharmacy Guild and Vaccine Fridges

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The Pharmacy Guild, QCPP and Vaccine Refrigeration

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia plays a crucial role in upholding high standards of practice within the pharmacy sector. One of its key initiatives is the Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP), a quality assurance program designed to ensure community pharmacies consistently deliver safe and effective care.

Understanding QCPP

QCPP is a comprehensive program that covers various aspects of pharmacy operations, including the critical area of vaccine storage. It accredits pharmacies against the Australian Standard AS 85000:2017 – quality management system for pharmacies in Australia, ensuring that community pharmacies meet stringent standards for quality, safety, and consistency in professional services and customer care.

Vaccine Storage and QCPP Compliance

Proper vaccine storage is paramount. QCPP accredited pharmacies must adhere to strict guidelines for maintaining the cold chain for vaccines and temperature-sensitive medications, which include using appropriate refrigerators and consistently monitoring their temperature.

  • QCPP Compliant Refrigerators: QCPP provides a list of refrigerators that meet its stringent standards for vaccine storage. These refrigerators are designed to maintain the required temperature range of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and have features like alarms to alert staff of any temperature deviations. The vaccine fridges on this list have all been independently tested to ensure that they can maintain vaccines at the correct temperature.
  • TGA Listed Fridges: In addition to QCPP compliant refrigerators, pharmacies may also use refrigerators listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), which is maintained by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). For a manufacturer to have a vaccine fridge listed by TGA does not require any product testing; therefore, the listed fridges are not guaranteed to be suitable for storing vaccines.

Refrigerator Maintenance Certification

To further ensure the reliability of vaccine storage, QCPP mandates that pharmacy refrigerators undergo regular maintenance and certification. This can be performed by various entities, including the Pharmacy Guild’s Cold Chain Testing Centre, some refrigerator manufacturers, and licensed refrigerator technicians.

Strive for 5 Guidelines

In addition to QCPP requirements, pharmacies providing vaccination services are generally expected to follow the Australian Department of Health’s Strive for 5 Guidelines. These guidelines offer best practices for vaccine storage and handling and further emphasise the importance of maintaining the cold chain.

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