Veterinary stock management: a practical stock-check checklist

Start with the product and its unit

A useful stock check starts before the count. Identify the exact product, its recorded unit and the location being checked. A box, bottle and individual item are not interchangeable. If your stock record uses boxes, compare it with boxes, or document an agreed conversion before entering the count.

Keep locations and batches distinguishable where your process requires them. Items in a consulting room, a central store and quarantine should not silently become one available quantity. Note the count time and who performed it so colleagues can explain later receipts or supplies.

Work through a discrepancy before changing the total

Suppose the software records eight boxes of gloves in the main store and the physical count finds six. The difference is minus two boxes, but the count does not establish why. Two boxes may have moved to another room, a supply may not have been recorded or an earlier receipt may have used the wrong unit.

Review the relevant receipts, transfers, supplies and prior adjustments against the count time. If the missing boxes are found in another location, resolve the location record rather than treating them as a loss. If an authorised adjustment is needed, retain the original count, reason, approver and outcome. An unexplained replacement total gives the next colleague less information.

• Confirm the product, unit and location.
• Record physical and recorded quantities separately.
• Check changes made during or after the count.
• Investigate receipts, supplies, transfers and previous adjustments.
• Record an authorised resolution or give the unresolved discrepancy an owner.

Keep expiry and ordering reviews separate

A quantity can be physically present without being available for use. Review recorded expiry and quarantine information through your practice's process. A stock-check worksheet does not replace medicine movement records, clinical decisions or the practice's authorisation rules.

A low-stock flag is a prompt to review a product, not evidence that a supplier order was sent. Check any outstanding orders and expected receipts before making another request. Record the supplier handoff, acceptance and delivery separately, especially when only part of an order arrives.

Explore the ClinicDay stock-management evaluation workflow

Make the next action clear at handover

Write a task that identifies the product and the question to resolve. 'Review glove count: eight recorded, six counted in main store; check room transfer before adjustment' gives a colleague something specific to investigate. Add an owner, due date and the record or evidence they need.

When the check is complete, record the outcome rather than only marking the task done. Review repeated discrepancies for possible unit, receipt or workflow problems. The purpose is a reliable working record, not a count that merely agrees with the screen.

Use the editable stock-check worksheet

The worksheet includes product, unit, location, batch or expiry, recorded quantity, physical count, difference, evidence, approval and follow-up. Adapt it to your existing practice process and keep live information within your authorised systems.

When comparing software, ask a supplier to demonstrate this same gloves example using sample data. See whether the team can find the evidence, explain the discrepancy and preserve the correction history. Confirm which functions are in the current release and which require configuration.

Download the veterinary stock-check worksheet