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Stock management, waste and recall records in pharmacy

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Topics: Record keeping

Recommendations on the retention of pharmacy records relating to stock management, recalls, quarantine, returns, destruction and disposal of medicines.

This article forms part of a series
  1. Retaining and storing pharmacy records in England
    1. Additional services records in community pharmacy
    2. Clinical governance and patient safety records in pharmacy
    3. Clinical trial records in hospital pharmacy
    4. Controlled Drugs (CD) records in pharmacy
    5. Prescription and dispensing records in community pharmacy
    6. Prescription and dispensing records in hospital pharmacy
    7. Stock management, waste and recall records in pharmacy
    8. Supply and distribution records in pharmacy
    9. Technical service records in hospital pharmacy

Contents

  1. Using our advice
  2. Specific records
    1. Defective medicine alerts and recalls
    2. Destruction of patients' own medicines
    3. Hazardous waste consignment notes
    4. Medicine storage temperature
    5. Non-hazardous waste transfer notes
    6. Quarantine records
    7. Vaccine storage temperature logs
  4. Update history

Using our advice

Pharmacy teams create stock management records to ensure medicines are stored appropriately, remain fit for use, can be traced throughout the supply chain. Medicines can be withdrawn promptly if quality defects are identified.

These records support patient safety, regulatory compliance, audit, product traceability and environmental obligations. Retention requirements may arise from legislation, the Records Management Code of Practice (RMCoP), Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidance and waste management legislation.

Where multiple retention periods apply, organisations should normally retain records for the longest applicable period. See Retaining and storing pharmacy records in England (SPS page) for factors that may justify longer retention.

Specific records

Record description

Records such as defective medicines notifications (DMN), class 1 to 4 recalls, action logs, quarantine logs, and communications regarding recall.

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 5 years

Supporting source

The GDP guidelines advise on the retention of distribution-related documents.

Record description

Records such as patient own medicine destruction logs, witness signatures, and disposal logs.

For controlled drugs (CD) destruction see Controlled Drugs (CD) records in pharmacy (SPS page).

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 2 years

Supporting source

The RMCoP has been interpreted to treat these records similar to prescription records for the purpose of audit and service assurance.

Record description

Records such as consignment notes, schedules, transfer documents, contractors and registers.

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 3 years

Supporting source

NHS Hazardous Waste advises producers and holders of hazardous waste on record keeping. Retention begins from the date the waste was transferred.

Record description

Records demonstrating storage temperatures for medicines held within refrigerators, free

Record description

Records such as medicines refrigerator temperature, ambient storage temperature, temperature excursions, monitoring system downloads and calibration records.

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 5 years

Supporting source

The GDP guidelines advise on storage and distribution record retention.

Record description

Records such as transfer registers, waste disposal, contractor details, and waste collection logs.

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 2 years

Supporting source

The Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste advises on waste record retention.

Record description

Records such as logs, product holds, investigations and release authorisations.

Minimum retention time

  • retain records for at least 2 years

Supporting source

The GDP guidelines advise on distribution and storage record record retention.

Record description

Records such as vaccine refrigerator temperature logs, continuous monitoring reports, excursions, cold chain incidents and corrective actions.

Minimum retention time

  • retain temperature records for at least 5 years
  • retain refrigerator maintenance logs for 11 years

Supporting source

The Green Book, Chapter 3: Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines states that refrigerator temperature records should be retained for at least 1 year and should cover the full storage history of products held in the refrigerator.

The Green Book notes that retaining records for 5 years will generally allow the complete storage history of vaccines to be demonstrated because manufacturer shelf lives may be 4 years or more.

The RMCoP advises on retention records for equipment maintenance.

Update history

  1. Republished
  2. Full review and update
  1. Link updated for the Records Management Code of Practice (RMCoP).
  1. Published