so I gather

[Tony Schofield]

I will help put an order away if I'm not doing anything else, but experience has also told me that this can lead to staff taking advantage of the Locum. Give some staff an inch and they will take a mile and can lead to a situation were they stop doing the tasks they normally do.

Well said Culchie. I also accept that as a locum it is difficult to manage someone elses's staff when they "take a lend". However being prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the dispensary smooth running gives you a moral high ground when it comes to asking staff to do what they should be doing.......sweetly of course!

[Tony Schofield]

Standards I'm afraid.
Us "old school types" switch off phones.
Work time is for work...
Home time is for ... CPD.

Don't mobile phones have voicemail facilities? Anyone seeking to book a locum would leave a message. It is not acceptable to be arranging future bookings in the paid time of another employer, likewise CPD is an individual requirement which should be conducted in an individual's time. Full marks Pharmanaut

I think it is too easy to talk about locums as if, as a breed, they are lazy and do their own thing while paid by another. I am also aware that some pharmacies are awful to work in even for the regular pharmacist and I would hate to be a locum going into some pharmacies I am aware of. Of course it is correct that people should use a forum like this to "sound off" but my experience is that, just as there are some poor pharmacies with exploitative owners and miserable staff, there are also some wonderful locums who genuinely add value to a pharmacy when they work there. That isn't just about doing enhanced and advanced services, it is being friendly and professional which, in my experience is so much more in evidence than the lazy tykes who make the "headlines".

[Defblade]

It is not acceptable to be arranging future bookings in the paid time of another employer

Wellllllll, I've never been one for dropping a script to answer the phone (as I may have said on here once or twice )..... but..... people usually appreciate an answer ASAP regarding bookings, so if there's time between scripts, I will ring them back. I do warn on my advertising I may not answer straight away!

There's a fair chance I took the booking I'm at the same way and so it's a touch of swings and roundabouts.

Rarely takes more than 5 minutes and if I was that busy, it'd be even less: "hi, yes I can do that date for you, but I'm very busy here, so can you write me in for it and I'll give you a ring later to check the details".

Also a lot of booking requests come out by email these days, and the first to answer gets the date, so I may check and reply to emails briefly at work, too.

No-one's complained and I'm getting plenty of repeat bookings so I think it's a matter of scale and priority - a quick call, regarding bookings, in a quiet moment is very different to ignoring work for ages while you sort out your new car.


And actually, no-one's going to be getting called back today or at the weekend as I forgot to pick my phone up last night (working too hard until the last minute ) and I'm not back there till Monday....

[johnep]

I left my mobile at a pharmacy for several days. However, I never made a call on a mobile. My prime reason for having was so that I could be contacted re queries at a previous locum.
johnep

[xxxhepsxxx]

there is very good locums out there that will come into store and be very good and at the start of the day will ask what has to be done for that day and will ask if its ok if they have their phones out because of bookings thats ok, however when you already have a 20 minute waiting time and standing on the phone trying to buy a car then that doesn't look good to the patients, I have worked with many locums that have their phone attached to them all day a few examples include playing games, coming back from an hour lunch and turning around and saying can we put the waiting time up as they had to make a phone call and using the stores phone to make call for 15 minutes needless to say I have not seen any these locums again.

[johnep]

Virtually all multiples prohibit mobile phones being at the work place. In each case I obtained dispensation because of possibility of queries.

I got fed up with previous locums who left no contact nbr. because of this, I always put my details into PMR and left contact details in the daily diary.
johnep

[online_now]

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