[Jeff]

Originally Posted by SolomonQ

I hope I do assume rightly that most pharmacies dont have the dispensary support that they should have, as Jeff assumes,

Many don't have the support they should have - The problem is one of lack of support and not one of patients wanting to see you

Relating to the different points and scenarios:

I think Jeff underestimates workload of most pharmacists,

I'll admit that I'm fairly choosy about where I accept work.

checking is an exercise the pharmacist needs to perform most of the time as well as the clinical check, not all dispensarys are laden with ACTs.

Can we agree then that the problem is a lack of support i.e. poor management.

-about the privacy, so Jeff suggest when the fitters for the open plan come we should also ask them to install a cordless phone for us, so we can talk in private,

Nip down to a supermarket and buy one - they are easy to fit.

i wonder where this privacy would be achieved as most pharmacies are not as big as he assumes

Consulting room, loo, - if the pharmacy offers no privacy it fails in its duty of confidentiality - does it not?

about self-control, people get agitated and distress on purpose dont they and they can see it coming so they can exercise self control, atleast Jeff thinks so, the rest of us are human

No - it's usually down to bad management. (at a variety of levels)

- about being part of the so called positive feedback loop, the pateitn sees you putting stickers on a pack of tablets, im not sure how much experience Jeff has had with how patients treat the packaging and especially the labelling on the medicines, just to make it simple they dont really think they're important and everyone thinks about themselves anyway

Why do YOU need to be the one putting labels on boxes? Oh yes - lack of support - it's a management issue.

- about the explaining, well how many times are you going to waste (literally) time by telling patients this.

That it will be longer than expected because they are in a queue behind a giant script? Not as long as it takes to type. People will put up with all sorts provided that you communicate with them and let them no what's going on. It's being ignored while they are waiting that gets up their nose.

I prefer patients to prescriptions too but you should never forget a pharmacist's main link to a patient is through their prescription (atleast in the community setting).

No - that's just a way in - the relationship develops - it's about their family, their life, - the signposting role offers many opportunities to both network with other professions and to help your customers.

If the pharmacist spends his time talking to such patients, what happens to the patient whose prescription needs to be dispensed.

Most prescriptions are repeats - if the clinical check was OK last month and the month before and the script hasn't changed then it's OK this month too.
With sufficient confidence in the support staff why do I need to be involved in the majority of the dispensing process?

and lets not forget what pharmacy contractors employ pharmacists for, to make profits for them, talking to patients doesnt make them profits (atleast in the short-term), diespensing prescriptions does.

I'm not suggesting that you stop dispensing prescriptions - just that much of the process can be delegated to suitably trained staff leaving the pharmacist available to spend more time with patients and less time with green bits of paper.

Regards

Jeff