Say goodbye to locumming (and independents)

[anotherpharmer]

hello
latest info from the journal, pretty much making the idea of locuming redundant in the next couple of years to come!!! as well as closing any small independents! - seems like the multiples have found a new approach to corner the market .... completely. please read

The final nail in pharmacists' coffin?
"http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070922/comment/spectrum.html"

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by anotherpharmer

hello
latest info from the journal, pretty much making the idea of locuming redundant in the next couple of years to come!!! as well as closing any small independents! - seems like the multiples have found a new approach to corner the market .... completely. please read

The final nail in pharmacists' coffin?
"http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070922/comment/spectrum.html"

So do we sell the Society while we still own it, take the money, and tell HMG to regulate whoever it likes at its own expense?

Jeff

[johnep]

Best idea I have heard for a long time.
johnep

[Pharmanaut]

Originally Posted by Jeff

So do we sell the Society while we still own it, take the money, and tell HMG to regulate whoever it likes at its own expense?

Jeff

I like the way we are referred to now as "Registrants" rather than "Members". So are we RRPharmS now?

[Pharmanaut]

Originally Posted by anotherpharmer

hello
latest info from the journal, pretty much making the idea of locuming redundant in the next couple of years to come!!! as well as closing any small independents! - seems like the multiples have found a new approach to corner the market .... completely. please read

The final nail in pharmacists' coffin?
"http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070922/comment/spectrum.html"

A further thought.
If you remove pharmacists from mainstream dispensing how long will it be before the DoH reduce the dispensing fee to match the reduced cost of dispensing without pharmacists?


To all the "great and the good" who read this forum.. Please, Please, nay thrice Please; be very careful with the "system" as there are always unintended consequences.

[anotherpharmer]

Originally Posted by Pharmanaut

A further thought.
If you remove pharmacists from mainstream dispensing how long will it be before the DoH reduce the dispensing fee to match the reduced cost of dispensing without pharmacists?


To all the "great and the good" who read this forum.. Please, Please, nay thrice Please; be very careful with the "system" as there are always unintended consequences.

This whole process is a step by step process since the mandatory requirements of SOPs>registration of techs>intro of MURs and advanced services>independent prescribers>unsupervised dispensing>finally remote dispensing!!!!

its like instead of telling someone from day one(ie over 3 years ago) that we are going to introduce remote dispensing the society with the doh have gradually built up to the bad news, and we don;t realise until its far far too late. We need some form of action now.

[Pharmanaut]

Originally Posted by anotherpharmer

This whole process is a step by step process since the mandatory requirements of SOPs>registration of techs>intro of MURs and advanced services>independent prescribers>unsupervised dispensing>finally remote dispensing!!!!

its like instead of telling someone from day one(ie over 3 years ago) that we are going to introduce remote dispensing the society with the doh have gradually built up to the bad news, and we don;t realise until its far far too late. We need some form of action now.

Is it a logical progression or stacking up of unintended consequences?

Anyway - the pharmacist can then be out of the dispensary doing fulfilling all the "how pharmacists can help with..." things that you read about in the journal.

[Web Ferret]

One of my local surgeries has been asked to participate in this!


EU Project – e@SY Connects: Demonstration sites.
Background
The Italian Ministry of Health, The University of Malta, Sheffield City Council and a large Italian manufacturer of machinery for the automobile industry have come together to test kiosks which allow a remote pharmacy to operate just as if it was a staffed one. Video links, smartcards and remote access enable a customer to get medicines etc from the kiosk, which will be part of the normal pharmaceutical supply chain.
The Demonstrator.
We would ideally like to trial the machines, in as realistic environment as possible, but we are able to make concessions, as the aim at this stage is just to prove it works and publicise our activities.
But the best scenario is one where we can build upon the initial trial to generate more project income and for it to act as a catalyst for more interesting projects with our NHS in the future (such as ePrescriptions)
A location linked to existing EASY Connects applications would be perfect as we could also move on to looking at using the EASY Channels for communications in the future if the trial is a success and we start to deploy it wider.
University of Malta will evaluate the trial and talk to patients etc to get some useful market research and feedback.
Partners Locally
We would like to have local partners who would be interested in the high profile which the trial would generate. It attracted TV coverage in Italy.
We would hopefully be able to co-operate with the local partners in turning a trial into a real business opportunity if the trial looks promising.
Commitment
The lowest commitment we would expect from the local partner would be just to co-operate in finding the site and establishing the link with the pharmacist. Ideally we would supply broadband and have the kiosk working remotely, but if there are short term problems, we could demonstrate it in a more superficial way to the panel from Brussels who will come to evaluate our activities.
But hopefully, everyone will get excited by not just the possible uses for the kiosk, but in terms of what we might do next.
Resources
The project has all the resources to bring the kiosks from their storage in Sheffield and put them in situ, pay for any alterations, power, phone bills etc which may be incurred. No expenses will fall on the local partner.
Similarly, should we decide that at the end of the trial that the kiosks were rubbish, we would pay to put right whatever is necessary, If they were a success but we need to move it to a better location or that it might remain in situ would be a distinct possibility and we would enter discussions with the manufacturers and project partners to see how this could be done. The aim is to make money for the people deploying the kiosks and the project is looking at models of how this can be done.
So, if it is a success, every endeavour will be made to let the kiosks and possibly more of them, be deployed in South Yorkshire.
Other expenses
Depending on commitment the project may, on request, pay for a participating party to visit Torino to allow the manufacturers to chat about the kiosks and to see the factory and meet the other partners including the Ministry of Health.
All overheads such as insurance and any other outstanding issues would all be covered by the project.
Summary
Co-operation is all that is required from the local partner, and hopefully an ambition to see what interesting developments may follow. We are flexible regarding the actual trial- from a “all singing video linked, medicine- dispensing trial” with many patients having smartcards issued, to a small trial to show the concept with dummy boxes of pharmaceuticals.
We expect the panel from Brussels to arrive in mid-October 2007 (19th October expected) to see the kiosks in operation.

[richtagg]

Not only does this have the potential to put local pharmaceutical contractors out of business, but the scheme is using an italian contractor! Surely there are local contractors in shefield which could offer this service.

My gut feeling though is that we have to embrace technology as a profession, or we will be left behind by it. Perhaps there are more opportunities with this project than what first meets the eye.

[johnep]

Will have to be an enormous kiosk to accomodate all the existing packs.
johnep