Medicine storage


the correct temperature … Some fridges are advertised as ‘medicines fridges’. But they may maintain temperatures in ranges that are too low or too high.”2 The CQC also details how the interior


temperatures of the medicines fridge should be recorded, stating that care homes should: n Complete temperature recordings on a daily basis.


n Record minimum, maximum, and current temperatures.


n Reset the thermometer after each reading.


n Ensure staff understand the recommended temperature range, how and why they must read and reset the thermometer, and what to do if the fridge temperature falls outside the recommended range.


n Keep records of any actions taken.


This is no small task for care home staff who are already under tremendous strain in their day-to-day lives. The CQC’s own State of Care report 2022/23 states that: “Staff regularly fed back to us of being overworked, exhausted and stressed – sometimes to the point of becoming ill, injured or leaving their job altogether. They say this can affect their ability to provide safe and effective care to people.”3 Considered in this context, the daily monitoring and recording of fridge temperatures, although an essential task, is also a labour and time-intensive one, which staff members must often fit it in among a number of other responsibilities. It is easy to see how it might slip down the priority list. Additionally, when temperatures are


recorded, human error might creep into reporting procedures, while simple actions such as inadvertently leaving a fridge door open for too long can also increase fridge temperatures. A medical refrigerator can contribute significantly to easing the burden on staff and at the same time ensure that resident safety is protected from the risk of damage being caused by storing sensitive cold chain medicines outside the recommended temperature range.


Benefits of NHS approved medical refrigerators Reliability


The importance of using a medical fridge from an approved supplier cannot be overstated. A domestic fridge – even if erroneously labelled as a medicines fridge


44


Incorrectly stored medicines can threaten the health of residents


as highlighted in the CQC’s warning – simply is not up to the task of storing temperature sensitive medicines. In its advice relating to fridge


temperatures, the leading consumer body Which? states that domestic fridges will not automatically set to within the manufacturer’s recommended temperature range and must be manually set – a situation which would introduce an unacceptable risk of human error from the outset within a care home setting. It also warns: “Our testing [on domestic fridges] has found that you can’t always rely on these settings to work like they should. “The manufacturer’s recommended setting on the worst models we’ve seen sends the temperature in the fridge soaring above 10°C – warm enough to invite heat- loving bacteria inside.”4 The golden rule is that a medical fridge must be reserved exclusively for the storage of medical cold chain products – so not to be used to store anything that might present a contamination risk, such as food or drink.


Placing a domestic fridge in a medical care setting might mislead staff into treating it like the one they have at home, for example by keeping milk or packed lunches in it, which would introduce a threat of contamination.


Accurate temperature monitoring and recording Advanced medical refrigerators such as our Lec Medical Pharmacy Plus range have inbuilt technology which removes the need for staff members to take multiple manual temperature recordings on a daily basis and maintain hand-written or typed records. Smart technology enables completely contactless temperature readings using a Bluetooth enabled controller. Data can be downloaded directly to a phone or tablet and shared with approved personnel directly, via an app. A display panel on the fridge itself provides readily available information about the interior temperatures. We have also developed dual air and load probes to deliver the pinpoint temperature measurement vital to storing sensitive vaccines and medicines.


The first probe monitors the internal


temperature of the fridge, while a second probe sits within a silicon oil formulated to mimic a vaccine. It means the temperature of the vaccine is monitored – not just the fridge temperature. This dual digital temperature monitoring delivers accuracy that manual readings cannot achieve. The technology also removes staff responsibility for recording fridge temperatures, as well as for analysing the information on the spot.


Safety alerts


App data will alert management if the fridge contents have fallen outside the recommended temperature ranges at any point, for example if there are any power outages, or a door has been left open. Temperature alarms are both audible and visual and an extra layer of safety is provided by a power failure alarm with battery back-up and data retention.


Added safety


Additionally, an intelligent fan management system prevents warm air being drawn in when the fridge door is open and automatically restarts when it closes, ensuring temperatures remain stable at all times.


These features serve to free up a significant amount of time, remove added


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com February 2025


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47