Here we go...
I’m very nervous this week since I’m going back into community pharmacy practice after a number of years of pursuing other avenues of pharmacy. Since the introduction of the new pharmacy contract I have really fancied going back into practice since the new contract does, in theory, give me the opportunity to be a ‘real’ community pharmacist with a greater clinical role and chance for patient interaction. I didn’t go to college to stand in a dispensary and count tablets all day – so have things changed in the past few years and is working under the new contract any different?
Well the community pharmacy I’m working in is perhaps already a step ahead (which is why I chose it!) with the bulk of the space being taken up by a large dispensary, a supervised methadone area, consultation room, and a seating area for patients while they wait for their scripts to be dispensed. It is a very professional looking pharmacy after a recent refit. It is also an extremely busy dispensary where I will be the second pharmacist, supported by one recently qualified checking technician, and at least four other very experienced dispensary staff.
The pharmacy is part of a local minor ailments scheme, runs a collection and daily delivery service, and provides numerous dosette boxes to suitable patients in the community. One of the pharmacy staff deals with all the deliveries so that we can communicate effectively with patients in the community – one patient who gets a weekly delivery of her medication in a dosette box regularly tells us that ‘Without us she’d be dead’….
The pharmacy is ready for repeat dispensing but as in many other areas can’t persuade the local GPs that it’s a worthwhile thing for them. The local GPs are apparently so bogged down with their own agenda (not least PBC) that they can’t be persuaded to get involved in yet another new venture (even though the long term benefits of repeat dispensing would be great for them).
Well the community pharmacy I’m working in is perhaps already a step ahead (which is why I chose it!) with the bulk of the space being taken up by a large dispensary, a supervised methadone area, consultation room, and a seating area for patients while they wait for their scripts to be dispensed. It is a very professional looking pharmacy after a recent refit. It is also an extremely busy dispensary where I will be the second pharmacist, supported by one recently qualified checking technician, and at least four other very experienced dispensary staff.
The pharmacy is part of a local minor ailments scheme, runs a collection and daily delivery service, and provides numerous dosette boxes to suitable patients in the community. One of the pharmacy staff deals with all the deliveries so that we can communicate effectively with patients in the community – one patient who gets a weekly delivery of her medication in a dosette box regularly tells us that ‘Without us she’d be dead’….
The pharmacy is ready for repeat dispensing but as in many other areas can’t persuade the local GPs that it’s a worthwhile thing for them. The local GPs are apparently so bogged down with their own agenda (not least PBC) that they can’t be persuaded to get involved in yet another new venture (even though the long term benefits of repeat dispensing would be great for them).
posted by Dee Spencer at 2:38 pm
5 Comments:
Welcome back to the world of community pharmacy. :)
Yes, things have changed. We also recently got one of our pharmacies refitted (bigger dispensary, consultation room, and revised counter area).
It's challenging because we have all these new tasks to do, but where is the staff and where is the time? That is a problem at our pharmacies. Customers/Patients are very impatient :(
I'm going to trial having two pharmacists at the shop I manage (one doing consultations and customers, and one doing the dispensery). Having two pharmacists in another of my pharmacies helps a great deal.
However, I want to ask: how many people do you have working in the dispensary at any one time?
Looking forward to reading your postings in the future.
Sachin Badiani
Badiani & Company Ltd.
It's a tricky dilemma, two days a week I'm in a very quiet pharmacy with all the time in the world to do MURs etc, but I haven't got any patients to do them on! I also work in a very busy shop, where I can see lots of opportunity for interventions and MURs but don't have the time to do them.
I think having two Pharmacists is definitely a solution.
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Dear Sachin
Well thank you for the welcome back.
I'm in a very busy dispensary which needs two pharmacists, a checking technician (whose skills we aren't using to full effect yet), and three other dispensary staff.
From my personal point of view, it's fantastic to be able to either just do the pharmaceutical assessment when the script is handed in, or do the final check at the end of the process. From the patients' point of view, I think they benefit greatly with this set up since a pharmacist can always be freed from the dispensary to council patients each time there is an acute script or a change to existing repeats; when a patient wants to speak to a pharmacist OTC; or when we start to do MURs (but that is another story!).
Hi Dee, Just a quicky about checking technicians, we have a recently qualified checker and it doesn't sit very comfortable with me yet that I am putting my career in the hands of someone else since at the moment we are still responsible for any errors that leave the store. It seems a waste that I have some one else there to aid me with checking but until they have full responsibility for any errors they may make then I still like to check everything I am going to have to stand before the society for. Probably my own hang up but I wondered what your thoughts were?
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