Following Poor Locums

[admin]

Hi Locums

Are you fed up with following a locum from the day before, who left you a stack of work because that chapter in his book just had to be read?

Seriously, I am finding myself following on from people who just don't care, don't work, and just leave most of it for somebody else.

Does this happen to other people too?

[Linnear]

It happens to me all the time. But it's not just locums.

I've met plenty of lazy managers and plenty of managers that have too much paperwork to do to get the actual Rxs done.

But I think lazy locums are the worst because they give the rest of us a bad name.

[admin]

It happens to me all the time. But it's not just locums.

I've met plenty of lazy managers and plenty of managers that have too much paperwork to do to get the actual Rxs done.

But I think lazy locums are the worst because they give the rest of us a bad name.

Yeah I follow lots of lazy managers, but there are a lot of locums who are just useless and lazy. They always seem to do alright though, as the agency always sends them to the easy shops.

[Linnear]

When I first qualified I had a beauty shop in the middle of Exeter. No surgery collections, just a nice brisk walk in trade.
(I also fancied the senior assistant - bonus!)

Then I was told that I had to move to another shop, ave 300 Rxs daily with no dispenser. 5 Manrex homes etc.etc.etc.

And all because they had a pharmacist that was having personal problems and every shop she was moved to went down the pan!

(The pharmacy had a bottle of Whisky in the cupboard from when a Dr prescribed Brompton's mixture a few years before and the senior assistant had to take to marking the bottle because she would stay on after work and she would neck some!)

I was basically penalised because she couldn't do her job properly!

All good fun eh?!

[Zoggite]

Here's my rant of the day:
patient comes in today with handwritten Rx for "Transtec patches 35mcg/hour, one every seven days"; dispenser informs me that said patient had already presaented same Rx yesterday, but locum (Polish, only signed off on nov. 1st...) refused to dispense it as patient's date of birth wasn't on Rx, so sent patient back to surgery. Never even mentioned the fact that Transtec patches are only licensed for use twice a week, and that if the Dr wanted the once-a-week ones he should have p'bed BuTrans patches...
So what do I do? send the poor patient back to the surgery again, or dispense a CD against a faxed new Rx?

[admin]

Here's my rant of the day:
patient comes in today with handwritten Rx for "Transtec patches 35mcg/hour, one every seven days"; dispenser informs me that said patient had already presaented same Rx yesterday, but locum (Polish, only signed off on nov. 1st...) refused to dispense it as patient's date of birth wasn't on Rx, so sent patient back to surgery. Never even mentioned the fact that Transtec patches are only licensed for use twice a week, and that if the Dr wanted the once-a-week ones he should have p'bed BuTrans patches...
So what do I do? send the poor patient back to the surgery again, or dispense a CD against a faxed new Rx?

I hate ones like this. If you know the Dr really well and know you'll get that script, most pharmacists I know would give the patient the patches. However strictly speaking it's illegal to do a CD from a faxed script.

So what do you do? Send a patient in obvious pain back to the surgery again (not in their best interests) or break the law?

Answers on a postcard...............

[Steve G]

At least the Rx actually had a proper dose on it. I've seen so many for fentanyl recently that are just 'use every 72 hours'.

[admin]

Steve

I read your blog tonight - nice one. Thanks for the mention, but the link didn't work properly (I think it went to the old first page). Any chance you could change it to www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk ?

Thanks

[Steve G]

Steve

I read your blog tonight - nice one. Thanks for the mention, but the link didn't work properly (I think it went to the old first page). Any chance you could change it to www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk ?

Thanks

Thanks, and sorted.

[Zoggite]

...And following on from my Transtec adventures from yeaterday:
Today's lunchtime hour was taken up by concerted attempts by myself and a very patient and understanding Macmillan Nurse, to try & get some Diamorphine sorted out for a terminally-ill patient's syringe-driver: The GP had issued a Rx for Diamorphine 5mg-ampoules, which we can't get hold of; we 'phoned around all the pharmacies in a 15-mile radius, to no avail; I had some 10mg-ampoules in stock, but we couldn't get in touch with the GP to change the script because the surgery was closed for the afternoon "for staff training"...
So what would YOU have done?