The RPSGB has issued further guidance on the RP regulations due to come into effect from October 1st.
http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/rprequirementsguid.pdf?dm_i=EQ,1Z85,1SSR5,6BFT,1
I’ve being using the time i have due my incapacitation to read through the responsible pharmacist toolkit. (Mine arrived on Friday) To be honest, apart from the bureaucratic changes in terms of the need to sign in as the responsible pharmacist when required, I don’t see things changing too dramatically after 1st October. The only thing that does change is that pharmacy staff are able to sell GSL’s in the absence of the pharmacists (as long as the absence if for less that two hours) which is long over due.
The toolkit does answer allay many of the questions I had about responsible pharmacist regulations and has a very good section for locums. As someone who is usually only too happy to knock the RPSGB, I have to say that they have done a good job this time. I particularly like the personalised “responsible pharmacist sign” and “notice for pharmacy staff”
I think more fundamental changes will occur after the changes to supervision that are likely to happen in 2011.
Link to online responsible pharmacist toolkit below
Change is always a bit of a concern especially when there is so much uncertainty about how the change might impact you. The introduction of the concept of a Responsible Pharmacist is such a change.
Is it something to be worried about? Is it just formalising what has always happened in the past? Not sure to be honest. We have all worked in branches with more than one pharmacist where one takes the “senior” role. In many cases when a locum is working with an employee pharmacist, the employee takes the senior role. However what happens in a pharmacy post October 2009 when two locums work together in a pharmacy? Who takes the RP responsibility? If one locum becomes the RP are they remunerated more for the additional responsibility?
The other issue is around record keeping. Either an electronic or written needs to be kept to confirm who the was on a given day and entries made when the RP leaves the premises. How will a locum who works across many pharmacies and companies keep track of where and when they were the RP?
My third and major concern surrounds the ability of an RP to be absent from the premises for up to two hours a day. I have no problem with this happening if a second pharmacist is on duty. However are we saying that for 25% of the day a responsible pharmacist is not needed? When does 25% become 50% and so on.
I can remember a number of occasions when I really needed to leave the premises for acute professional reasons. On one occasion I had a patient who was obviously in the last few hours of life after a long fight with lung cancer. She was going through Oxygen at an alarming rate and our delivery driver was off for the afternoon. I had to explain to waiting customers that they would have to wait until I returned. The ability to keep running while I was out in these circumstances would have been helpful.
My concern is that this 2 hour break could be abused by unscrupulous pharmacy operators. Four lots of two hours covers a pharmacy for the day. So could you operate five pharmacists with four pharmacists? Hopefully this could not happen but recent experience has taught me that some pharmacy operators seem to see pharmacists as a necessary evil at the moment and especially locums. The credit crunch has caused this in some instances and exacerbated it in others.
My own personal view is that a one hours gap would have been more appropriate but it’s too late to change that now. Second best is that all absences of the RP should be documented and reasons given so that the absences can be audited at a later date by the PCT or RPSGB. There should also be “specific regulatory guidance” in place to clarify what is an acceptable reason for leaving the premisis. Lunch, absultely – no more sandwiches sat on a kick-stool at the back of the dispensary and also fine for home visits. However I don’t think it’s acceptable for an RP to leave their pharmacy to visit a second pharmacy they may have line-management respeonsibility for or to meet their area manager. In my view written guidance and auditable documentation are key to safeguarding both the profession and the public.
Shaun Hockey B Pharm(Hons) MRPharmS
Managing Director PL-UK Recruitment Ltd
At last the RPSGB have realised that pharmacists are under increasing stress at work. As with the proverbial ostrich, the society have had their heads in the sand about this for years but should be applauded for doing something about it, at last.
Your Society Update February 2009
http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/YourSociety0902.pdf
The cynic in me (and there is a large cynical element to my character) might say that there is a direct link to the fact that we will soon have a choice about whether we want to join the society, or whatever it will be called in future, and the fact that they are addressing very real concerns for pharmacists at last. Whatever the motivation behind the move, it is most welcome.
Putting my cynisism aside, I think that something needs to be done quickly to address the issue. The credit crunch has put increasing financial pressure on most businesses and in particular the larger businesses. They seem to doing everything they can to cut costs including running what are usually two pharmacist branches on one pharmacist which means that the pharmacists on duty is under enormous pressure. This isn’t fair on the staff in the branch or the customers who have to wait for ages for their medication. Most of all it isn’t fair on the poor pharmacists who is left to cope with the massive workload while all the time being scared of making a mistake which could potentially ruin their career.
Employee pharmacists feel obliged to work in these conditions as they are paid a wage at the end of the month and their immediate line manegers are being pressurised to reduce costs by non-pharmacists further up the food chain. In many cases these line managers know what pressure the pharmacists are under because they have been there themselves in the past. Locums are increasingly shunning particular branches where they know workloads are increasingly challenging.
This can’t be good and I feel the time has come for a fundamental change in the relationship between the professional pharmacists and the business of pharmacy
I’ve long advocated a completed different model for pharmacy based on the the way GP’s operate in the UK. Some of you might not know that most GP’s are self-employed. They sign contract for services with their PCT which confirms the services the PCT expect the GP to undertake and the rewards on offer for providing these services. However it allows GP’s greater personal control and professional detachment from the PCT, allowing them to practice their profession as they see fit. This stops political pressure cascading down through PCT’s from affecting the way GP’s practice medicine. For political pressure read political and business pressure and you have the current pharmacy situation.
Something has to change and soon.
The ongoing Responsible Pharmacist Consultation is an ideal opportunity for pharmacists to have their say in the future of pharmacy. I’d urge you all to contribute to the consultation.
Responsible Pharmacist Consultation
http://www.rpsgb.org/protectingthepublic/ethics/#rp
Shaun Hockey B Pharm(Hons) MRPharmS
Managing Director PL-UK
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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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