We are on the look-out for more locum pharmacists. The locum season has now really started and we are in need of professional, reliable locums we can trust. Unlike most areas of the economy there is still a real shortage of pharmacists so top-rates can still be obtained.
However, we aren’t interested in taking on the kind of locum who’s car breaks down on a regular basis or who has a history of last minute sickness calls (but turns up later in the day at another pharmacy!) Those guys and girls can happily go elsewhere.
Locums based in the North call Linda on 01677 424215
Locums based in the South call Dee on 01454 299412
What you will get from PL-UK:
Unless you have had your head in the sand for the last few months you will have heard of Twitter. Twitter is a kind of messenger/social networking tool that allows users to write very brief messages to each other in less than 140 characters.
PL-UK have been Twittering for some time now and can be found on Twitter using username Shaun_at_PLUK
Come and join us!
On Saturday I took my first helicopter ride. However it wasn’t quite as I’d imagined my first experience. I was air lifted off a rugby field in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, after suffering what could have been a serious neck injury. Fortunately for me the injury wasn’t serious and I was able to leave hospital that evening.
A second strange occurrence during this traumatic event was the appearance of Sky TV film crew in the helicopter. They were filming for a programme called Real A+E which is due to air on the 4th May.
So from over-the-hill rugby player to fully fledged TV start all in the space of three hours!
One thing that occurred to me as I was staring at the ceiling on the helicopter with my head taped down to stop me moving it was, why is the air ambulance dependent on charitable contributions? In my case, thankfully, everything was OK, but for others with real life threatening injuries or illnesses, the time saved flying the patient to hospital rather than driving them is the difference between life and death.
In this country we fund things like NRT and EHC and dozens of other things which could be described as preventable, self inflicted problems but don’t fund things like Air Ambulances or even hospice care (Although they do now contribute towards it)
You could argue that my injury could have been prevented if i didn’t play rugby. My argument would be that I was participating in a sport that keeps me fit and hopefully saves the NHS in the long run.
Is it just me that thinks that the Air Ambulances should be fully funded by the NHS?
Click below to read the C+D article about former locum pharmacist , Elizabeth Lee who has been given a suspended three month jail term for a dispensing error. The patient collapsed within minutes of taking eight propranolol tablets instead of the prescribed prednisolone and died in hospital three days later.
This is a tragic case for the patient and her family but also for Elizabeth who has decided to resign from the register. I hope that all pharmacy contractors take time to consider their actions when cutting staff hours or deciding not to engage locum technician cover when staff are either sick or, as in this case, on maternity leave. Could this have happened is locum technician cover was available? The answer is that is still could have happened but that it was much less likely to.
To cap all this, I bet the RPSGB in their wisdom would have either suspended or permanently removed Elizabeth from the register if she had not done so herself. Unfortunately this might still happen as resignation doesn’t stop the Society taking action. Could you see the BMA doing this?
Link to C+D article
How would you feel about Google holding data about all your dispensed medication in one consolidated file? 
It may sound unlikely but in the USA it is becoming a reality with Walgreen and CVS now signed up to Google Health.
Putting aside the exceptional important issues of security and confidentiality, wouldn’t it be great, as a pharmacist, to see a complete dispensing history for your patients so you could advise and counter prescribe with confidence knowing that we had a complete picture of their medication history both POM and OTC.
You know what they say; Things that start in the USA end up in the UK very soon afterwards (See credit crunch!)
For more info read the Tech Blog below:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/cj79u4
Or visit the Google Health website at:
Agency Workers Regulations – how does it effect me?
The simple answer is it doesn’t. …. in most cases. For more expert guidance than I can supply as a pharmacist rather than a legal bod please click on the link below. http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/documents/01109%20PCG%20A4%2020PP%20BROCHURE%20SINGLE%20PAGES.pdf
One in a lifetime opportunity – pharmacist required in Tonga
We have been approached by a not for profit pharmacy in the Kingdom of Tonga asking us to recruit a pharmacist to work at one of the health centres in the Kingdom. This opportunity will definately not come up again for if you fancy a complete change of scene and an opportunity to live on [...]
Just a quick post to remind all pharmacist that they need to renew their GPhC registration by the 31st October. So you still have a month to pay but if you are anything like me, if you don’t do it now, there’s a chance you’ll forget!
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