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Community pharmacy

Locums often don’t want lunch

From Mr S. A. Wheatley, MRPharmS

Philip Crabtree (PJ, April 7, p464) says he tries to make sure all his engagements provide lunchbreaks.

But there is anecdotal evidence that, in order to maximise their earnings, some locum pharmacists are disinclined to work in those pharmacies that do not offer a lunchtime pharmaceutical service.

Furthermore, some pharmacists who work in their “main” jobs from Mondays to Fridays, work on Saturdays for another employer at premium rates.

Previous editions of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Code of Ethics have included the instruction that pharmacists should not work or be required to work for long periods without appropriate rest breaks. The recently published draft of the proposed revision of the Code of Ethics contains no such instruction (PJ, March 10, pp325–32).

It is to be hoped that the final version that is to be presented for acceptance at this year's annual general meeting of the Society will have addressed that omission.

Stan Wheatley
Blandford Forum, Dorset

Working hours and acceptable workloads for pharmacists have been dealt with in general terms by the new Code of Ethics. See p589.—EDITOR.

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