Lack of Staff

[Apothecary]

I was working at a pharmacy today, not too busy, but steady with about fifteen addicts. There was, in total, including me, two staff to run the whole of the shop! Yes me and one other.

Does this just happen to me or do others find this crap going on? :x

[Elaine]

Apothecary

No you are not alone, this happens to me all the time.

[Linnear]

Originally Posted by Apothecary

I was working at a pharmacy today, not too busy, but steady with about fifteen addicts. There was, in total, including me, two staff to run the whole of the shop! Yes me and one other.

Does this just happen to me or do others find this crap going on? :x

It seems that minimum staffing is the norm these days. Which is fine as long as no-one is sick or on holiday.

I believe that it is now getting beyond a joke and it's time that the RPSGB pulled their collective fingers out and did something about it!

I would have said that as the PCTs are now policing us maybe they should do something but most of the members I've met couldn't find their fingers let alone know how to pull them out of wherever they've stuck them! :evil:

[admin]

I have to agree with you all, and especially Linnear! :lol:

I too am a bit sick of going to stores where the "sorry you're on your own" is the theme of the day.

A few weeks ago I went to a rather busy store, and was told I'd be on my own from 1.30 to 6.30pm. I told the manager that it was too busy for one person to label, dispense, check scripts, deal with queries and look after the 20 or so methadones clients they had. The dispenser from the morning said she'd be happy to stay, but the manager said the company had banned all overtime so she couldn't!

I put my best professional head on, and told her I believed this was dangerous to the public. I said I would work until 1.30, bill them for that amount of time, but I'd then have to go home. She soon allowed the dispenser to stay, saying she would sort out the overtime issue!

My advice would therefore be if it's a danger to the public, due to lack of staff, then refuse to do it. If you make a mistake under those circumstances the inspectors will not be very impressed you put up with it! You are putting yourself at risk of being over stretched, making erors, and getting to big trouble for doing so!

[Mister Pharmacist]

Hi,

I absolutely agree with admin and Linnear on this,

the lack of staff I find in some shops I go to, makes the job dangerous to the public and if I make a mistake whilst I'm there, it's my head on the block.

A shop I work at, has over the last 2 years, increased its methadone prescriptions from 50 to 150 and at the same time, cut 2 staff (and believe me they were not overstaffed to begin with, I mean which shops were?)

The multiple now wants me to start doing all this MUR's, diabetes testing, blood pressure monitoring, intervention form filling, minor ailment schemes, etc etc etc (broom up my arse!)

I've expressed my concerns to the area manager (who gets a big bonus for hitting their targets for these and I was told, You will do it!!.)

Well I can't do it, it is too dangerous as far as I'm concerned, so I will be moving on to another job, which I understand is fine by the company as they have a foreign pharmacist in the wings to replace me. (I just hope they know what awaites them and haven't signed a long term contract!!)

Why does the Society allow this to happen?

They are keen to strike off an individual pharmacist for commiting an error under such conditions but allow the company which provided such conditions to continue to operate and keep these conditions.

To me, its like prosecuting the kid for getting his arm torn off by the weaving machine, in the old Victorian woolen factories and lettting off the mill house owner!

Anyway, enough vitriol, anyone got any suggestions how we change it?

Mister Pharmacist

[Linnear]

Originally Posted by Mister Pharmacist

Hi,

I absolutely agree with admin and Linnear on this,

Of course! :wink:

The multiple now wants me to start doing all this MUR's, diabetes testing, blood pressure monitoring, intervention form filling, minor ailment schemes, etc etc etc (broom up my arse!)

I think this is the problem, the new contract was voted through by block votes from the multiples who just want the money and don't care what pressure their staff are under

I've expressed my concerns to the area manager (who gets a big bonus for hitting their targets for these and I was told, You will do it!!.)

Area managers have a hard time, they have very little time after their promotions to get used the pre-frontal lobotomy and then having their heads rammed up their a**.

Why does the Society allow this to happen?

The society has always been afraid of crossing the multiples especially Boots. Look at what they have gotten away with over the years.

They are keen to strike off an individual pharmacist for commiting an error under such conditions but allow the company which provided such conditions to continue to operate and keep these conditions.

Please see above.

Anyway, enough vitriol, anyone got any suggestions how we change it?

I set up pharmacistance in the hope that we could get all pharmacists talking and working together. I hope that there are enough sensible pharmacists (If any such thing exists :wink: ) for us all to get together and finally be heard

Then we could fly around the world on our winged pigs and end world hunger! :P

[uglybuginn]

Up to last year I was managing a branch doing 8000 scripts a month. Most days I was the only one dispensing, checking, taking repeats over the phone. One member of staff was serving on the counter (so there were 2 of us in total). Never got any help from HO, i suppose i didnt complain loud enough. Mind you I was too exhausted anyway to pick up the phone to complain. All this was for 15.75 an hour. When I left I learnt they were paying a locum substantially more. Now they have a perm manager who said he was given a salary package he could't refuse (for sure it is not the 15.75 an hour). Plus they also helped him to recruit 2 more members of staff . Is there a case for me to complain? Can anyone advise?

Anyway on the subject of MUR, you cannot not do it, you get pestered with phone calls at least one a day. In the end I did it for a bit of peace and quiet. Am proud to say, i had only ever made a few minor errors during my 12 years on the register. What happened recently?... 2 errors on the trot all happened because i had to do mur and having scripts shuffed under my nose for checking. Staff was told not to disturb, but what can they do when customers get irate, they knock on your door expecting you to check the prescriptions. Do the nitwits agreeing to the new contract realise what they have done to the profession?. Doctors dentists dont move their backsides unless they get paid good money. We are old to jump and we ask how high...Any thoughts on this topic?

[admin]

Hi and welcome

I'm sure we have loads of thoughts on this one! I'll write a longer reply when I have more time, but I don't think you can complain now about the conditions you had then - if you get my drift. You have to ensure you get a good deal when you start I've always thought. They will pay a locum more, it's simple supply and demand.

On the MUR front, I personally agree with what you say 100%.

Part of the problem is the society and how it behaves, and how much crap most pharmacists will put up with. On here we have quite a mixture of people, and if you have time read through the posts that interest you to get the idea of where a lot of us stand on things like this.

Anyway, welcome aboard! It's always nice to get new members, and we are still growing quite nicely. We have some fun debates, some serious debates, but above all we have each other to share our experiences with. I hope you get at least some new friends/contacts out of this forum.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by uglybuginn

Is there a case for me to complain?

Probably not at this stage

Staff was told not to disturb, but what can they do when customers get irate,

Hand the script back to the patient telling them that if they are unable to wait 15 minutes that they might be better off trying elsewhere.

Jeff

[Zoggite]

Does the new NHS contract not include a clause about adequate staffing levels, which is why we have to declare how many weekly hours' dispensing staff on the FP34 (or WP34 in my case)? I don't have a drugs tariff at hand at the moment, but I seem to remember that you need at least 1.5 full-time equivalents' staff (including Phcist) if you do more than 4000 items/month, 2 FTE's for more than 6000 items/mont etc...? It does sound like you were getting a rough deal though- £15.75/hour is roughly £33k/year for a 40-hour week, which I wouldn't touch with a bargepole, not even as second phcist...
I'm sure you can sell yourself better!