Quality Care Home SLAs
Our SLA Commitments
Our Commitment:
Our SLA is a structured, transparent contract that defines clear service expectations, accountability measures, and operational safeguards. This strategic tool is designed to strengthen a care home’s CQC compliance.
How it Links to CQC:
- Regulation 12 – Safe Care and Treatment: Guarantees reliable medication supply and timely issue resolution.
- Regulation 17 – Good Governance: Documents processes and audit trails, supporting robust risk management and governance.
- Regulation 5 – Fit and Proper Persons: Demonstrates care home due diligence in partnering with a competent, accountable pharmacy.
Key Features:
- Defined delivery times and urgent medication protocols
- Priority customer service response
- Proactive compliance reporting
- Transparent communication and escalation processes
In today’s complex care environment, managing pharmacy services through verbal agreements or informal understandings is no longer enough. For care homes aiming to achieve the highest standards of medication safety, operational efficiency, and CQC compliance, a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) with their pharmacy partner is not just a best practice, it is essential.
At Hot Chemist, we view our SLA as a strategic compliance tool: it protects residents, supports care staff, and provides managers with clear documentation and assurances directly linked to CQC regulations.
CQC and NICE Guidance
CQC and NICE Guidance on Service Governance
While the CQC does not mandate that care homes must have an SLA with a pharmacy, their expectations under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 make it clear that:
- Regulation 12 – Safe Care and Treatment: Providers must ensure medicines are supplied and administered safely.
- Regulation 17 – Good Governance: Providers must maintain governance systems to monitor and improve the quality and safety of services.
- Regulation 5 – Fit and Proper Persons: Providers must ensure third-party partners are reliable and capable.
A robust SLA demonstrates proactive compliance with these regulations by formally setting expectations and accountability between a pharmacy and the care home.
Key Components of an Effective Pharmacy SLA:
- Timelines for regular and interim deliveries.
- Protocols for urgent medication requests.
- Response times for medication queries.
- Clear escalation routes for service failures.
- Complaint management procedures.
- Audit and compliance reporting agreements.
The Risks of Operating Without an SLA
Without a formal SLA, care homes face:
- Medication delays with no recourse for urgent supply failures.
- Miscommunication about delivery times, prescription discrepancies, or waste collection.
- Inadequate complaints handling, leaving unresolved service issues.
- Poor governance evidence during CQC inspections.
Regulatory Risk: Lack of formal agreements with service providers is often flagged by CQC inspectors under Regulation 17 for weak governance systems.
Case Study
Case Study Example: The Value of a Pharmacy SLA
Imagine a care home that operates without a formal SLA in place with their pharmacy. Over time, staff experience occasional late medication deliveries, but no formal complaints are recorded. During an unannounced CQC inspection, inspectors identify:
- Missed doses linked to delivery delays.
- No structured process for urgent medication needs.
- Poor documentation for complaints and service concerns.
As a result, the home is rated “Requires Improvement” under “Safe” and “Well-Led” domains, partly due to weak governance over their third-party pharmacy provider.
Now imagine if that care home had implemented a structured SLA like the one provided by Hot Chemist. With clear delivery timelines, defined escalation pathways, and a formal complaints log:
- Staff could demonstrate that missed doses were promptly reported and escalated.
- The SLA would evidence that the care home fulfilled its duty of governance over external providers.
- CQC inspectors would recognize the home’s proactive approach in safeguarding residents through formal pharmacy management structures.
Having a robust SLA could have transformed the inspection outcome from “Requires Improvement” to “Good,” highlighting the home’s commitment to safe, well-led service.
How Hot Chemist’s SLA Strengthens Your Care Home
At Hot Chemist, our SLA includes:
- Same-day acute deliveries for prescriptions received by 1 PM.
- Priority support lines with guaranteed response times.
- Structured complaint resolution pathways aligned with Regulation 16.
- Proactive compliance reporting to support CQC inspections.
- Clear audit trails for medication orders, deliveries, and issues.
Conclusion: Why Every Care Home Needs a Pharmacy SLA
A formal, detailed SLA is no longer optional, but a foundational part of safe medication governance. It helps care homes:
- Demonstrate strong leadership and compliance to CQC.
- Protect residents through reliable service guarantees.
- Minimise the risks of medication errors and service failures.
- Build a relationship of accountability with their pharmacy partner.
Hot Chemist provides care homes with structured, regulation-aligned SLAs designed to make medication management safer, easier, and fully compliant.
Need a pharmacy SLA review? Contact Hot Chemist today – your trusted care home pharmacy specialists.
