Archived: Truepill Manchester

Updated 16 September 2021

Truepill Manchester is based in Old Trafford, Manchester. Truepill Manchester registered as a provider in December 2020. They are registered for the regulated activity of Treatment of disease, disorder or injury for adults of the ages 18 to 65. Truepill Manchester also provide pharmacy and NHS Prescription services, which are not regulated by CQC and do not fall into the scope of this inspection. These services are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Truepill Ltd is an independent healthcare provider, currently operating as an online community pharmacy registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Truepill Ltd also provides an additional service to patients by providing online services, including medication prescribing and dispensing (if required) for a set number of medical treatments.

The principal members of the organisation are the Managing Director (also the registered manager), the medical director and superintendent pharmacist. There are also three independent pharmacy prescribers to support the delivery of services.

The information for patients can be accessed via the websites (www.truepill.co.uk, www.helloeve.co) or they can be provided with a hard copy. The provider can be accessed through their websites where patients can place orders for medicines seven days a week. The provider is available for patients in the UK. Patients can access the provider by telephone from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. They are not an emergency provider. Subscribers to the provider pay for their medicines when making their on-line application.

The provider has a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the CQC to manage the service. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

How we inspected this service

Before the inspection we gathered and reviewed information from the provider. During this inspection we spoke with the Registered Manager, Medical Director, Superintendent Pharmacist, an independent pharmacy prescriber and the Product Manager.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 16 September 2021

This service is rated as Good overall.

The provider registered in December 2020 and this was the first inspection of the service under its new registration with CQC.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced inspection at Truepill Manchester on 2 September 2021. This inspection was part of the CQC inspection programme to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Patients register for the service on the provider’s website, select the medicines they require, complete an online consultation form which is reviewed by an appropriate clinician, and if approved, they send the medicines to the patient.

Our key findings were:

• The provider had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the provider learned from them and improved their processes.
• Patient identity checks were in place including higher level checking where the provider determined this was necessary.
• There were systems to monitor overuse or potential misuse of medicines.
• The provider reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• The provider did not prescribe high risk medicines or controlled drugs. Their prescribing was for birth control and morning after medicines in line with their regulated activity. They also prescribe for menopause treatments and for antibacterials.
• All patient data was encrypted and securely stored.
• Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Patient feedback highlighted high levels of satisfaction.
• Patients could access care and treatment from the provider within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• Information about the provider and how to raise concerns was available.
• There was a strong focus on innovation, continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care