Really interesting article on PJ Online about the lack of communications causing a 200% increase in medication errors. I couldn’t agree more as I mentioned in a previous post http://www.pluk.co.uk/2010/pharmacist-access-to-medical-information/
Pharmacists need access to medical information to fulfil their potential as the healthcare providers on the high street and could make a masssive impact in terms of drug costs and effectiveness. To me it’s a no-brainer but until the government start contracting with professionals i.e. individual pharmacists and not shops it’ll never happen because GP’s don’t want supermarkets and multi-nationals to have access to their patient’s medical records
Link to PJ Online article below
As you know I locum quite a bit in prison service pharmacies and as I left my booking on Thursday for the long weekend I was struck by the irony of pharmacy’s predicament with regard to incorporation into the healthcare team.
Don’t get me wrong I LOVED having the weekend off but doesn’t this just give ammunition to the commisioners of healthcare services when they are looking to cut costs. All the other professions have to either work through bank-holidays or, at least be on-call. Not pharmacy. We got all our work done in four days and enjoy the weekend.
If you were a commissioner, would you then class pharmacy as an essential service or one that can easily be out-sourced? Doctors and nurses are essential, they are needed every day. They are visable, available and although they do seem to sit around for long periods of the day, they turn up to work 365 days a year.
In some prison service pharmacies and hospitals the traditional Monday-Friday service is a thing of the past and if we are to be truly seen as an essential part of both the primary and secondary care healthcare teams, we all need to be ready to work seven days a week in the future across all sectors.
Interesting blog post from Paul Corrigan regarding a possible reprieve for PCT’s
My hope for 2011 is that it will become remembered as the year our profession started focusing on the individual pharmacist again. Too much time in recent years has been spent focusing on pharmacies, (Control of entry regulations) and the profession of pharmacy ( split of the representative and regulatory function of RPSGB)
During this time we have lost focus on the pharmacists who are working their fingers to the bone dispensing ever increasing numbers of prescriptions without the corresponding increase in reward, either professionally or financially.
So Royal Pharmaceutical Society , make 2011 the year you make a difference for the individual pharmacists who pay their membership fees in the hope that they receive representation to make their working lives more rewarding, or you may find that the number of renewals come March 1st will come as a bit of a shock!
Monday’s announcement about the closure of PCT’s and SHA’s have send shockwaves through the 150 PCT’s.
Although this is, on the surface, bad news for the prescribing advisors employed by the PCT’s, I think it is also a fantastic opportunity for these highly skilled pharmacists and I would like to speak to as many of them as possible.
So if you are effected by the changes, or know someone who is, please call me on 0800 881 8844 to discuss the opportunities available.
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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