The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7232 p79-80
18 January 2003
PDF* 80K
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The Pharmaceutical Journal |
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PDF* 80K |
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Period-of-treatment fee
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Locum pharmacyLaws of supply and demandFrom Mr J. Silcock, MRPharmS Some PJ authors and letter writers are busy misinterpreting the standard laws of supply and demand with regard to fees for locum services. Briefly, if a large number of small suppliers and consumers have perfect knowledge about a service, then its price should reach a stable point at which everyone who wishes to trade does so. Fluctuations in locum rates are to be expected as supply and demand vary throughout the year and geographically. A flat rate for all locum services anywhere in the UK would indicate the absence of normal market forces. Naturally, if a locum is required quickly or with particular skills, then the fee will be higher because supply is limited. Major distortions may arise from the actions of large suppliers and consumers. Thus, PPLS, one of the largest locum agencies, is able to set default rates and enforce them reasonably well. Lloyds, one of the largest users of locums, may also be able to enforce a low fee or (more likely) constrain price inflation in the short term. Reliable information about locum quality and working conditions is in short supply, but will also influence the market as it is revealed by experience. Multiple pharmacies without regular managers and good support staff are unpleasant places to work and will have difficulty paying low fees. Trustworthy pharmacies will have advance bookings for good locations or high fees, or both. Jon Silcock Minimum rates should be setFrom Mr A. Patel, MRPharmS The profession has yet again disgraced itself. Locums have now taken another step back. I think it is up to all the agencies to demand that their locums will only accept a minimum of £20 per hour (normal rate) and £25 per hour on a Saturday. Emergency rates should be left open. After all, it is important that the pharmacy stays open so that we provide a professional and efficient service to our patients. I think that the locum agencies should stand up for themselves and for their locums, otherwise we will see ourselves getting paid the same rate as five years ago. We are professional, university graduates, not shopkeepers. If the agencies do not set a minimum rate, we will soon be getting paid a similar rate to senior assistants or supervisors. If the multiples and independent pharmacies want an efficient, reliable and professional level of service they should start thinking like professionals and promote our profession. Paying us a mere £17 per hour is not a step in the right direction. The agencies must have a stronger say in setting minimum rates and help us move the profession forward. Ajay Patel It is about time we stood strong and unitedFrom Mr G. Singh, MRPharmS It is about time we had an organisation that looks after and protects the interests of the unrecognised National Health Service workforce, one of the most important cogs within its mechanism. Yes, us, the independent pharmaceutical chemist locums whose numbers are increasing year on year. We work extremely long, unsociable hours, on most occasions without adequate tea and dinner breaks and often with staff that are inadequately trained or power drunk with authority. As independent pharmaceutical chemist locums we have no influence over other organisations, such as locum agencies, multiples and supermarkets, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the National Pharmaceutical Association, the National Health Service, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and its many contractors. And, to top it off, we are not recognised by the paymaster and so cannot be remunerated accurately for the professional services that we provide. For example, we take the daily risks of dispensing items, which include Controlled Drugs, and preparing extemporaneous products, and the professional fees, which should rightly be ours, go to contractors or, in the case of multiples and superstores, to fat cats and shareholders. The Independent Pharmacists' Association gets my full support (PJ, 11 January, p40). Anybody who feels as strongly as I do about the present decline in our pharmacy role and the forever increasing workload without forthcoming professional remuneration should, like me, send for more information by e-mailing barrister@netway.at. It is about time that we stood strong and united in the face of tyranny and take pharmacy back to its professionalism, forward in new development and out of the hands of shareholders. Gurnam Singh |
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