Name and shame

[fabulous]

As a locum i have been to some horrible stores. One particular store in chelmsley wood, birmingham was the worst one i can remember. As soon as I walked in and saw the chav healthcare assistant I had an ominous feeling of what was to come. It was a friday and none of their methadone for the day had been made up. I was just swamped with walk in checks, pcs checks, supervising addicts and doing the work of the incompetent healthcare assisstant, whose response to every query was "do you want to speak to the pharmacist".
The dispenser and healthcare assisstant just stood there complaining and tutting under their breath. The thing is their regular phramacist is more familiar with the place and this puts them in a situation where they can prioritise better. I sometimes wonder if "support staff" even have an inkling of the pressures your under. I really wanted to slap them or walk out. Why are people so negative these days and unable to make the best of a bad situation. Sure customers had to wait but its a busy friday afternoon not the end of the world! Been to a few stores where the staff panic if the customer has to wait more than a second. Even been in the scenario where a dispenser was waiting outside the toilet for me.
I wont be going back to that store and didnt even say goodbye to the staff when I left. Has anybody else had an experience of pharmacies from hell?

[dizzyb23]

Hi, yes I have. Worked in one a few years ago where the manager thought it was acceptable to:
Wash and re-use med spoons
Have returned CD meds thrown on top of the Mount Everest of returned meds that was growing slowly in the staff loo
Leave the cd cupboard open
Ignore med errors
Have out of dates on the shelves
Let anyone dispense (i.e. managers wife who was NOT qualified or trained)

And the list goes on.....But it is such a shame you had a bad experience. I wish we could name and shame these awful places but we would be in the wrong if we did.

I hope your experience has not tainted your idea of support staff. The majority want to help and do a good job and don't view it as a way of earning what is often a pittance but as a career. There are many great support staff out there. God bless them all and the Pharmacists that work with them.....

[Pharmanaut]

Long ago I learned not to complain but do something about it!

My lesson was turning up for first day in new job and found that the loo was an extension of the stock room. That stopped there and then. The next day the junior dispenser was in there in an old overall cleaning and painting.

[SolomonQ]

There are various reasons why a pharmacy becomes one “from hell”, the main ones being manager+regular staff on holiday and being run by part-time staff and locums. (i.e. people who find it easy to pass on responsibility to others)

It is important to note, especially with the commencement of the RP regulations that even if you are a locum pharmacist taking in charge of a pharmacy for the first and maybe the only time, you are still responsible for the safe and effective running of that pharmacy, including everything a RPSGB or PCT inspector would check for if they came in on the day.

If you do walk into any pharmacy in which you think you would have problems, especially on a week day,(first thank god it’s not a weekend) it’s best to ring both the locum agency if you have one and say the area manager or equivalent of the pharmacy and if need be also speak to the superintendent(s office). Take their advice and inform them of any actions you are going to take, e.g. staff seem to be poorly trained and that means you will have to “boss” them around and because you are a locum they might not comply with this. Poorly organised so waiting time longer=patients might complain of this etc etc…

Be co-operative and offer to help sort out any problems you can while you’re there. And I know from personal experience that it’s quite hard to walk out, firstly because you lose that days pay but also because it might affect the company seeking you’re services again, but if the company doesnt seem to be doing much to resolve the problem or understanding the situation then it's best to ask them to arrange for another locum as you would be leaving at xyz pm. As a locum that is the only Ace you hold, also mention a report being passed onto the RPSGB and PCT

[Pharmanaut]

with this. Poorly organised so waiting time longer=patients might complain of this etc etc…

Be co-operative and offer to help sort out any problems you can while you’re there. And I know from personal experience that it’s quite hard to walk out, firstly because you lose that days pay but also because it might affect the company seeking you’re services again, but if the company doesnt seem to be doing much to resolve the problem or understanding the situation then it's best to ask them to arrange for another locum as you would be leaving at xyz pm. As a locum that is the only Ace you hold, also mention a report being passed onto the RPSGB and PCT

Based on Red Dwarf...
Normal Pharmacy personality is like 'Holly'.
However, if the place is a shambles then 'Queeg' surfaces and takes over until order is restored.
...So how about putting that stock away now Sharon.
...Lily, that stock needs putting away.
...Beryl, that box is a tripping hazard.
...Anna, let's have this dispensing bench tidied up.
...Check Please! Script needs bagging up.
...Prescription! (when someone is waiting and no-one goes to take in script)
...Counter! (when no-one goes to counter)


(names and events changed to protect the innocent)

[johnep]

Multiples make it clear that you may well be reported to the RPSGB for any thing that goes wrong. However, they certainly do not expect to be reported themselves.
johnep

[culchie82]

At this stage I am completely fed up with locuming and community Pharmacy in general. Some of the stores I go into are ludicrously under staffed due to either sickness, holidays etc. I'm running about trying to answer phones, type labels, gather, take scripts, find scripts from previous days, order repeats AND then somehow fit in the minor process of checking. Don't get me wrong not all stores are like this, but I've come across a fair few that are. These companies expect you to be accurate 100% of the time, but yet they don't provide you with the staff to do that. If things go wrong, the fall guys are us and no one else - the large multiples will just wash their hands of you. I'm considering another career at this stage.

[hibernia]

Culchie, Do you think you would be more suited to a permenant post where at least you would have a good idea what you were facing into every day and could get some more control over your working enviroment.

Maybe this was just a bad day and you will feel better in the morning.

Yes pharmacy has it's faults and can be frustrating but it can also be a very rewarding career. Don't make any hasty decisions.

[culchie82]

A permanent position might suit me better, it too can have it's problems though. Locuming was no better back home in Ireland - the staff there also had the amazing ability to NOT see a script coming in or a customer for that matter. Locuming is bloody stressful, there's no two ways about it. I take it by your Username you're based in Ireland?

[hibernia]

Very Irish Culchie.
I'm sure working as a locum is very stressful - a control-freak like myself could never venture into it.
However you work, locum, manager or proprietor I'd say most people find staff the biggest problem. Lack of staff and/or lack of experience/training is a huge issue everywhere but even with the best of staff there are "issues" - personal, inter-personal, external, you name it.
Hopefully my locums don't have too many problems, sadly I don't have enough volume to stress them out but staff can "play up" on a new locum, especially if they are young and inexperienced, and behave more like schoolchildren whose teacher has just left the room.

One tip from the reports I get back- locums who arrive with all they need and a pack of chocolate biscuits to share always seem to be much better than the ones who ask staff to go to get snacks/newspaper/lunch/pen for them.