Docfan Academy

A delivery is the moment a supplier's mistake can become your mistake. Before you sign, the problem is shared. After you sign, it is yours alone. So receive carefully, even when the driver is in a hurry and the traffic on the ring road was terrible.

The checks

1. Compare the papers. Match the delivery note with your order and the invoice. Do all three agree?
2. Check each product. Name, strength, dosage form, pack size and quantity must match. Count the cartons, and open a sample if your procedure says so.
3. Check batch and expiry. The batch number and expiry date on the pack must match the documents. Note any short-dated stock, meaning a product with little shelf life left, and agree with the supplier before accepting it.
4. Check the packaging. Look for crushed, wet, stained or opened cartons, broken seals, leaking bottles and unreadable labels.
5. Check the temperature. For cold-chain items, check the cold box, the temperature indicator or data logger, and the product temperature. The right range is 2 °C to 8 °C. Move the items to the refrigerator at once.

When something is wrong

Do not hide a problem to save the driver's time. Write it on the delivery note before you sign, for example '2 cartons wet, 1 carton short'. Move the affected items to the quarantine area, label them 'Do not sell' and record what you found. Tell the supplier the same day.

Signing

Your signature says 'I checked this and it is correct'. Sign only what you really checked. Print your name, add the date and time, and keep your copy.