Pharmacies in Ontario are closely regulated spaces. Every pharmacy in Ontario must be accredited by the College and every pharmacist and pharmacy technician must be registered with us as well. By setting and maintaining standards for pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, the College ensures that the public receives safe, effective and ethical pharmacy care.
Types of Pharmacies in Ontario
The College accredits several types of pharmacies:
Community Pharmacies
Community pharmacies are the pharmacies you see in your neighbourhood where you can walk in and speak to the pharmacist, receive your prescriptions and access other services such as vaccinations. Pharmacies may also provide online services. Read more about online pharmacy services.
Hospital Pharmacies
Hospital pharmacies provide pharmacy services to patients in public or private hospitals. They are not open to the public.
Remote Dispensing Locations
Remote dispensing locations are sites where drugs are dispensed by a community pharmacy that is not located in the same place. It could use an automated pharmacy system or be staffed by a regulated pharmacy technician.
Drug Preparation Premises
Drug preparation premises (DPPs) are places where pharmacists or pharmacy technicians engage in or supervise drug preparation activities. While these products are sold to other pharmacies or organizations, they are not for a specific prescription or person. They are not open to the public.
Point of Care Symbol
The Point of Care symbol must be displayed at every community pharmacy in Ontario. It is a requirement under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, 1990 that all accredited community pharmacies prominently display the Point of Care symbol in at least one main public entrance to their pharmacy. When you see the symbol, you can feel confident that your pharmacy is accredited by the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
How We Accredit Pharmacies
All pharmacies in Ontario must comply with relevant federal and provincial legislation, Standards of Operation, and other policies set out by the College. The College ensures that pharmacies are operating safely through an application process and operational assessments.
Before a pharmacy can open, the director of the pharmacy must complete the application process and meet all the College’s criteria.
We assess pharmacies before they open and then again six months after opening. We also assess pharmacies when there is a change in ownership or a relocation.
All pharmacies undergo routine assessments. How often pharmacies are assessed depends on the activities performed at the pharmacy and the risk of harm those activities pose to the public. For example, a pharmacy dispensing methadone or doing sterile compounding will be assessed more often than a pharmacy where those activities aren’t occurring. Hospital pharmacies and drug preparation premises are also assessed more often.
The pharmacy accreditation and assessment processes are overseen by the Accreditation Committee and Drug Preparation Premises Committee.
What Happens During a Pharmacy Assessment
We use standardized criteria to assess whether the pharmacy is meeting the Standards of Operation and has the proper processes and procedures in place:
- Community pharmacy assessment criteria (includes remote dispensing locations)
- Hospital pharmacy assessment criteria
- Drug preparation premises assessment criteria
During an assessment, a College operations advisor looks at various elements of the pharmacy’s operation, including:
- Policies to support compliance with relevant legislation and standards
- Processes to support safe handling, storage, monitoring and dispensing of medications
- Security of controlled substances
- Medication safety and management of medication incidents
- Infection prevention and control practices
- Staffing and workflow to fulfill standards of practice
- Effective practices to protect patient confidentiality
- Requirements related to specific practices, such as compounding or methadone maintenance treatment
Pharmacy assessments do not assess the practice of individual pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, which happens through the Quality Assurance Program.
Pharmacy Assessment Outcomes
These are the potential outcomes from a pharmacy assessment:
- Pass. If no notable issues are identified, the pharmacy receives a pass, and the assessment cycle is complete. If there are minor issues identified, the pharmacy is given a chance to correct the issues (usually within 30-60 days). The College operations advisor will follow up to ensure the issues have been addressed.
- Re–assessment required. If issues that have the potential to impact public safety are identified, the operations advisor may choose to order a re-assessment. This means that the advisor will re-visit the pharmacy to conduct another assessment.
- Referral to the Accreditation Committee. If serious issues have not been addressed following the re-assessment, then the operations advisor will refer the pharmacy to the Accreditation Committee. The committee will review the pharmacy’s file and may order an additional assessment. The Accreditation Committee can also refer the community pharmacy’s owner and Designated Manager or the hospital pharmacy’s Chief Executive Officer and Pharmacy Director/Manager to the Discipline Committee.
All pharmacy assessments are posted on the Find a Pharmacy/Professional tool. For more information, please visit our public information on pharmacies webpage.