PL-UK The Pharmacy Recruitment Specialists » hospital pharmacy

Highlights from the GPhC pack

Shaun — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:20:04 +0000

Dear all,

With thanks to the secretary of the Doncaster LPF here is a short summary of the essential facts for the GPhC.

The split is happening. There will be a general mailing to all Technicians and Pharmacists from the GPhC soon. The two main things to remember are that GPhC registration fees are due before 30th November 2010 and secondly the CPD requirements and records are carried over from the RPSGB system and will continue to be valid.

The main points from the G. Ph.C. mailing are as follows.

The GPhC will create a single register for all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises. This will replace the registers currently held by the RPSGB.

Pharmacist and pharmacy technician will become protected titles. Only those professionals on the GPhC register will be able to use these titles regardless of whether they are in a clinical or patient-facing role.
There is no longer a non-practising register.
The statutory register for pharmacy technicians opened on 1 July 2009. Pharmacy technicians with work experience and an approved qualification will be able to apply to join the register until 30 June 2011. After this date, any technicians wanting to join the register will need specific competancy and knowledge based qualifications.
Current registrations will expire on 31 December 2010. You will need to complete your renewal process, including your declaration, and pay the renewal fee by 30 November 2010 to ensure that your registration will be renewed and to enable you to practise in 2011.

The GPhC will operate a rolling register for registrants. From 2011, renewal of registration will be due ten months after the date of initial entry. Failure to complete the renewal process at the correct time could result in an entry expiring at the end of the twelve month registration period, meaning you are no longer entitled to practise.

All GPhC registrants will be issued with a new, unique registration number that will differ from your current registration number.
Existing registrants will receive renewal notices by 30 September 2010. Because there are no provisions for statutory reminders about unpaid fees, registrants will be removed from the register after 31 December 2010 – when your entry will have ceased to be valid – if you have not paid the renewal fee by that time.
From 27 September 2010, certificates of registration with the RPSGB will cease to be valid.

2010 LOCUM PHARMACIST PAY RATE SURVEY

Shaun — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:14:10 +0000

As we did in 2008 and 2009 PL-UK are inviting locum pharmacists to complete a locum pay rate survey. The survey is open to all active locum pharmacists and is super-quick to complete with only three questions and results to-date visable on completion of the survey.

2010 locum pharmacist pay rate survey

Happy to accept direct hospital locums

Shaun — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:50:56 +0000

PL-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

No pharmacy job. Why not relocate?

Shaun — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:40:13 +0000

We 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

Shaun — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:56:13 +0000

We 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!

Results of C+D and PDA Union survey 2010

Shaun — Mon, 24 May 2010 09:03:59 +0000

So how does your salary, bonus and condition compare to your peers? The C+D and PDA have carried out a survey this year of over 2000 pharmacists.

Some of the interesting results include:

A remarkably similar locum rate amongst the multiples. Interesting!.
A 11% difference in salary for full-time employed men and women.
Big differences between multiples with reward to bonuses paid.
88% of respondents stating that there had been an increase in paperwork in the last year.

For more information click on the links below which will take you to the C+D website (Please note, the results are found in two sections therefore you will need to click on both links below)

Salary survey 2010 part 1

Salary survey 2010 part 2

I’d be really interested in your comments about the survey

Shaun