Pharmacist popping tablets for nursing home

[algie]

I am a Locum pharmacist working regular Sundays for Lloyds. I was always left with a lot of collections to dispense and also "popping tablets" for nursing homes (usually about 20 odd patients). The pharmacy is next to a walk-in centre and I only have a counter assistant with me. The manager will come into the pharmacy on Sunday and demanded that I finish dispensing the nursing home even thought it's not going out for another fortnight. I have confronted thr manager that I shall not dispense and check due to patient safety. She then demanded that I shall still dispense and then get checked by an ACT the next day. I am not being ackward, but what would you do in this situation? As far as I've been in pharmacy business, I have never ever saw a pharmacist dispense nursing home! Or asked to do one!

[Tesh]

. I work in a state of the art pharmacy and dispense nursing homes with another dispenser on sundays all the time. Hell I pre-pack blisters of paracetamol and aspirin as everyone is always on them. At the end of the day I'm getting paid £375 for a days works so I like to get involved so the owner gets value for money and I can keep getting paid.

[vanquish s]

Wow £375 not a bad earner. How many hours do you work that day if you dont mind me asking

[Tesh]

sundays 10 hours @ £25 but I do two days during week 15 hours each day.

[Tesh]

You have to get ure hands dirty. At the end of the day we locum coz we want more money........so get ure hands dirty, get ure money and then get ure own business.

[Tony Schofield]

I am a Locum pharmacist working regular Sundays for Lloyds. I was always left with a lot of collections to dispense and also "popping tablets" for nursing homes (usually about 20 odd patients). The pharmacy is next to a walk-in centre and I only have a counter assistant with me. The manager will come into the pharmacy on Sunday and demanded that I finish dispensing the nursing home even thought it's not going out for another fortnight. I have confronted thr manager that I shall not dispense and check due to patient safety. She then demanded that I shall still dispense and then get checked by an ACT the next day. I am not being ackward, but what would you do in this situation? As far as I've been in pharmacy business, I have never ever saw a pharmacist dispense nursing home! Or asked to do one!

I'm not sure what your point is? I agree that pre-packing MDS too long in advance can be a serious problem for the stability of many medicines and that is a patient safety issue. However, I get the impression that you think you may be a bit too important to dispense into MDS packs? If that is the case I can't agree with you.

[Defblade]

As far as I've been in pharmacy business, I have never ever saw a pharmacist dispense nursing home! Or asked to do one!

Not been around long then?

What do you imagine happens in a dispensary where it's fairly quiet so there are no additional staff, but there are boxes to do?

Anyhow, any dispensary work is (locum/any) pharmacist work if there's nothing else to do - date checking, unpacking orders... I don't see how anything is "beneath" the pharmacist.... to gain respect you shouldn't ask staff to do jobs you're not prepared to do yourself.

[shan]

Anyhow, any dispensary work is (locum/any) pharmacist work if there's nothing else to do I don't see how anything is "beneath" the pharmacist.... to gain respect you shouldn't ask staff to do jobs you're not prepared to do yourself.

Yeah, completely agree here.

Shan

[Pharmanaut]

Not been around long then?

What do you imagine happens in a dispensary where it's fairly quiet so there are no additional staff, but there are boxes to do?

Anyhow, any dispensary work is (locum/any) pharmacist work if there's nothing else to do - date checking, unpacking orders... I don't see how anything is "beneath" the pharmacist.... to gain respect you shouldn't ask staff to do jobs you're not prepared to do yourself.

If there is a safe working procedure in place then its not a problem.

Packing four weeks in advance - not ideal.
Stability and the patient may be changed to another medication in three weeks.
One of the reasons we work on weekly scripts only; and pack on a weekly rota a day in advance.

[admin]

I have been a locum for years, and to be honest the list of things locums won't do just gets me more work. I followed a guy last week who would not: -

1. Do a MUR
2. Check any type of home
3. Sell/prescribe EHC
4. Measure methadone for the following day

I think he was happy playing with his phone all day. Needless to say he won't be back there and I will.

I think if you say you are a locum you are basically "I can turn up at your shop and cope with anything". If you can't do that then you're not a proper locum, in my humble opinion.

You are there being hired to do whatever they need doing, aren't you?