I’ve met my first pharmacists who has been asked to submit their CPD record for accreditation. I know it was coming but it’s still a bit of a shock so make sure you have nine pieces of CPD for the last twelve months and that it is entered onto one of the accepted formats.
Author Archive
CPD
Monday, August 2nd, 2010Happy to accept direct hospital locums
Friday, July 23rd, 2010PL-UK have been approached by a number of hospital locums who have previously invoiced hospital trusts direct. These placements have usually originated from personal links between an existing member of staff and the pharmacists concerned but they make HR departments very nervous.
These “directly booked” locums very rarely undergo the checks needed to undertake NHS locum work and they can last for several months causing potential problems in terms of employment status.
The NHS PASA framework suppliers have to carry out CRB, occupational health and mandatory training checks on locums and pay them under the terms of the NHS agreement.
PL-UK are happy to undertake this role for locums who have been asked to book via ana agency in future and there is no cost for the locums concerned
The future model for pharmacy in the UK
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010PJ Online are running an article about Boots’ move into Sweedish pharmacy via a partnership with Farmacevtföretagarna (thanks goodness for cut and paste).
Each store, which will be marketed under the Boots brand, will be owned and run by what the two organisations are calling “entrepreneur” qualified pharmacists.
This sounds like the perfect model to me. A powerful brand allied with the passion and entrepreneurial zeal of a pharmacists who will be properly rewarded for the work they put in and the difference they make to the health of the local community – utopia!
Seriously this would be fantastic. Pick a multiple franchise, who would you got for?
No pharmacy job. Why not relocate?
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010We are contacted every day by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from London, Manchester and Birmingham looking for work, both locum and permanent. The honest truth is that it is hard to find.
If you live in one of these area’s think about re-locating. We have regular work in some of the most beautiful parts of the country including the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Moors and even in cities with buses, theatres and nightlife!
If you are fed-up with low rates, bad working conditions and/or monthly financial stress give PL-UK a ring – we’d be delighted to help.
Call 0800 881 8844 for more details
Hospital locum posts
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010We were contacted today by a locum in a hospital trust who said that the trust had decided to finish all locums at the end on the month as part of their cost cutting measures.
The hospital pharmacy concerned is already running at very challenging staffing levels and it came as no shock when we were contacted by a pharmacy technician later in the day who had decided to hand her notice in due to the stress at work.
So does this mean their will be no locum work in hospital pharmacies in the near future? No, but i think it will get worse before it gets better. All trusts have to save money, the highest cost is always staff so the quickest and most effective way of saving money is to cut staff. Locums on temporary contracts are the easiest to cut so as the financial pressures get worse, locum numbers go down.
However, as the locum numbers drop so the number of permanent employees leaving position will rise as the stress levels increase. Trusts won’t fill these vacancies permanently but will look ironically look to plug the gaps with flexible workers i.e. locums!
This all applies to dispensary pharmacists, the trust have no option but to keep hold of specialists pharmacists.
So all you hospital locum out there, fear not! You time is coming…again!
