RSPGB Major legal errors

[Asterix]

Do the rpsgb have any guidelines as to what they would class as major legal errors or major dispensing errors by any chance? I.E. The ones a pharmacist would suffer be prosecuted as a result or be put behind bars.

[johnep]

Was a member of the public harmed or killed.
However, All errors are currently illegal.
johnep

[Pharmanaut]

Was a member of the public harmed or killed.
However, All errors are currently illegal.
johnep

Wasn't there some controversy about this a while back.

Often I think that there are that many rules, regulations and laws to keep in mind its a wonder how we get the job done.
Hope I haven't broken any of them by saying that.

[Rafael]

that's a major error
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ong-pills.html

i quote from the article:

(Mr Hudson said Lee was overworked at the pharmacy where two members of staff were on maternity leave. 'It was a very busy pharmacy. The normal pharmacist and her assistant were both off with pregnancies and the defendant was a locum. She worked long and arduous shifts. There was no break because the pharmacy could not function without her presence).
and
(Lee was working ten hour shifts without a break when she supplied the wrong drugs, the Old Bailey heard).

time for the new regulatory body to review the staff requirements as listed in the drug tariff and charge contractors who do not allow 30mins-1 hour break(unpaid) for those who ask for a lunch break. after all, it is not worth to lose your career for 23 quids/lunch hour.

all pre-regs and newly qualified pharmacists, please read! disagree?

[DavidS]

that's a major error

Ah, still the Daily Mail, Raoul!

Let's wait and see it in the Journal. What a tragedy, though. Still it does praise the pharmacist's previous spotless record and professionalism. Worryingly it also says she will not work as a pharmacist again.

In my view, as you say, the big mistake she made was allowing herself to be pushed into working a ten hour shift in an understaffed pharmacy, without a break. And, newbys take note, that is definitely her responsibility, no-one else's.

[Rafael]

Ah, still the Daily Mail, Raoul!

yeah at least they bring up all the interesting stories, you have to wait for a week or so to read about it from the pj...etc

[Pharmanaut]

Ah, still the Daily Mail, Raoul!

Let's wait and see it in the Journal. What a tragedy, though. Still it does praise the pharmacist's previous spotless record and professionalism. Worryingly it also says she will not work as a pharmacist again.

In my view, as you say, the big mistake she made was allowing herself to be pushed into working a ten hour shift in an understaffed pharmacy, without a break. And, newbys take note, that is definitely her responsibility, no-one else's.

Again, my sympathies to the patients and the pharmacists involved.
If you are "on watch" then its all your responsibility in the eyes of the law.
Agree that it is too easy to to let oneself be pushed into doing the shifts.
How about we all stop dodging the issue - if there are too few support staff for the numbers - turn it down, and say why. Its our duty to do this if working practices comprimise patient safety.

[pharmunsure]

This is an eye opener for sure... I think it happens more than we realise but doesn't end in such drastic circumstances. A few times I've worked in pharmacies were it was short staffed and really busy. You keep going because you have to...well of course you don't HAVE to but you persevere and hope things will calm down and you'll be able to catch up...you take your 2 min toilet break and 5 min lunch break and get on with the job. I think from now on I'm going to make sure I don't put myself in that situation again...

[DavidS]

if there are too few support staff for the numbers - turn it down, and say why. Its our duty to do this if working practices comprimise patient safety.

Absolutely, but how? If its your first time at a pharmacy, or if a couple of staff phone in sick, then what do you do. Its all too easy to hear the AM say "well, what about your duty to the patients who are waiting/returning to collect/getting owings - doesn't care of the patients count as your main priority?"

It takes a lot of guts to say to the staff, "tell everyone we are short staffed and your script may take a lot longer than normal", for instance. Its all to easy to try and cope, to race through, to feel like superpharmacist coping with impossible odds, and fall into the disaster waiting to happen.

The problem is compounded if the AM is not a pharmacist. You cannot have a meaningful professional discussion where both share responsibility for the outcome with a non-pharmacist (dispensing techs excepted, but they cannot share the responsibility, of course, at present).

Its a difficult one, isn't it. However, at present we know that most pharmacies are running on mimimum staff levels. So we can say that if someone is off ill, the pharmacy will be understaffed. End of story, really.

Perhaps that's a question we need to ask when we accept bookings. You can't tqke anything for granted nowadays,

[Asterix]

I feel distressed for the pharmacist, tiredness is the primary cause, shouldn't tescos be sued as well?