Storage of Medicines

Practitioners should know how to correctly store the products they use and administer to clients at their clinics and this includes the use of a dedicated medical fridge.

There are several reasons for this.

Storing products at the correct temperature:

Many of the products used in non-invasive cosmetic procedures must be stored within a certain temperature range. For Botulinum Toxin, this is between +2°C to +8°C.

The only way to accurately maintain this temperature range is by using a dedicated medical fridge which provides unrivalled levels of temperature control and monitoring.

This is achieved by using special thermometers that can measure the temperature inside the fridge as well as the temperature of the products that are being stored.

They are also fitted with alarms that will be triggered to make noise if the temperature falls outside of the required range, allowing practitioners to intervene and save products from damage.

Added security:

Dedicated medical fridges provide greater levels of security than standard domestic fridges as they can also be locked to prevent any unauthorised access.

They can have either a glass or solid door. The former allows practitioners to look inside the fridge without the need to open the door and risk a rise in temperature.

The latter provides added security as people cannot see what is being stored inside the fridge, mitigating the risk of theft.

How to store products in a medical fridge:

In order for the medical fridge to be work to its best ability, practitioners must store products in a certain way. This includes:

·       Leave 1cm of space between products

·       Ensure products do not touch the back of the fridge

·       Ensure the fridge is never more than 75% full

·       Clean the outside of the fridge daily

·       Clean the inside of the fridge twice a month

Practitioners should also conduct a weekly stock take of the products that are being stored inside the fridge and ensure that products with the shortest shelf life are at the front and used first.

Temperature monitoring is the key to correct storage:

It is good practice if practitioners monitor and log the temperature of their fridges to ensure they do not fall outside of the minimum/maximum range.

Temperature logging should be done by a qualified and experienced practitioner at least once per day. They should record min, max and current temperatures on a log and sign their name against it.

If the temperature has fallen outside of the range at any point during the day they must intervene and take the necessary action to ensure the products inside remain safe to use.

How to choose the right medical fridge for your needs:

There are medical fridges to suit every requirement. When thinking about which best meets your needs, you will need to consider the following:

·       The space you have available

·       The amount of product you need to store

·       Your budget

·       Whether you require a glass door or a solid door

Disposal of Medicines

All clinics should have a written policy for the safe disposal of surplus, unwanted or expired medicines.

Disposal of waste is subject to legislation and regulated by the Environment Agency. You might need to dispose of medicines when:

• a person’s treatment changes or stops
• Safely dispose of remaining supplies (with the person’s consent where possible).
• the medicine reaches its expiry date
• Make sure you read about expiry dates in the product information leaflet. Some medicines expire before their ‘use by’ dates because you’ve opened the packaging. Other expiry dates are shortened if they’re removed from controlled temperature storage.

Risk

Clinics must dispose of unwanted medicines appropriately, to avoid placing people who use services at risk.

Examples

A person who is no longer a client was previously prescribed medication. You must not administer medicine to a person if it was prescribed to another person.

A prescriber has stopped prescribing a medicine. If you continue to administer the medicine, you could place people at risk.

If you administer medicine beyond the expiry date, the product could have chemically changed. This may make it clinically ineffective or could cause actual harm.

Process

You should record the process for disposing of medicines in your medicines policy. Store medicines for disposal securely and separately to in use medicines. Control access, until they are collected or taken to the pharmacy. Do not dispose of medicines on site through the sewage system.

NICE SC1 says “Medicines for disposal should be stored securely in a tamper-proof container within a cupboard until they are collected or taken to the pharmacy.”

You should dispose of medicines by returning them to the supplier. This would usually be the community dispensing pharmacy. The supplier should dispose of the medicines in line with current waste regulations.