Medicines invoices 6 complete tax Legal Either delivery notes or invoices should be kept for 11 years as product liability records Date checking matrix 5 years Audit Any records relating to quality control (QC) should be retained for at least 5 years in line with good manufacturing practice (GMP) or 1 year after the product expiry date Extemporaneously prepared unlicensed medicines 5 years Northern Ireland — Department of Health recommend the records should be kept for 6 Unlicensed imported manufactured specials 5 years Sale or Supply Private prescription register (POM register) 2 years From the date of the last Private prescriptions 2 years – from the last date of supply Good practice to retain copies of repeatable private prescriptions for 2 years where the original prescription has been returned to the patient for future dispensing Poisons register 3 years Legal From the date of the last entry Disposal Waste carriage/transfer notes – non-hazardous medicines 2 years Legal Waste carriage/transfer – hazardous medicines 3 years Legal Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment records (WEEE) 4 years Legal Other
Pharmacy document type Minimum retention period Record type (Audit/ Legal) Guidance Location stored within the pharmacy Authorised member of staff responsible for keeping record General Mandatory staff training logs e.g. medicines counter assistants log 10 years from date of training completion Clinical training logs e.g. pharmacy technicians log 6 after employment period Audit To be retained for 6 years after the employment period or until the staff member’s 75th birthday Miscellaneous training logs e.g. flu vaccination training 6 after completion Audit Clinical Audit 5 Audit Review after 5 years, can be kept for longer if considered necessary NHS complaints record document and related documentation 10 years from the date the complaint is closed Where legal proceedings are involved, records should be kept for as long as is legally advised A separate record must be retained as no information should be disclosed on the patient medication record (PMR) Patient Questionnaires 5 years Audit Patient medication records (PMR) Entries on the PMR to be kept permanently Or 2 for minor clinical interventions recorded anywhere other than the PMR Or 10 years after death of the patient for significant clinical interventions recorded on PMR or anywhere other than the PMR Prescription collection service consent forms 6 complete tax Audit Dispensing error/incident logs 2 years Audit This recommendation only applies to paper based records Electronic entries should be kept in perpetuity or check local guidance
not provided via NHS prescription or PGD in line with smoking cessation service Substance misuse service patient consent forms 2 years Audit NHS health check 2 years Audit Table 3: England only Pharmacy document type Minimum retention period Record type (Audit/ Legal/good practice) Guidance Location stored within the pharmacy Authorised member of staff responsible for keeping record Services Minor Ailments Service 2 years Audit Medicines Use Review (MUR) 2 years Legal At least 2 years from the date of completion
Pharmacy document type Minimum retention period Record type (Audit/ Legal/good practice) Guidance Location stored within the pharmacy Authorised member of responsible for keeping record General All training records 6 years after employment period Audit To be retained for 6 after employment period or until staff member’s 72nd birthday Patient medication records (PMR) 6 after treatment period Adults – retained for 6 after treatment period has ended Children and adolescents – retained for 8 after patient’s death or until patient’s 26th birthday if they were 17 when the treatment period ended or until the patient’s 25th birthday Serious dispensing incidents resulting in disability/death of a patient 30 years Legal Drug alerts/recalls To be retained according to professional guidance Audit Drug alerts/recalls – (pharmacies holding a WDL) Must be retained in line with the terms of their license Audit Ordering & Storage Fridge temperature record 5 years A pharmacy holding a wholesale dealers licence (WDL) should adhere to good manufacturing practice (GMP) and/or good distribution practice (GDP)