The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7236 p229
15 February 2003

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Letters to the Editor

Locum pay

Preregistration trainees will be reaching for the monkey-wrench

From Mr R. Harris, MRPharmS

Stephen Taylor (PJ, 8 February, p188) states that locum rates of £25 per hour and allowance for travel time are unreasonable. I contend that these rates are becoming more popular because, as professionals, we are beginning to demand rates that reflect our true worth. It is interesting that Mr Taylor does not contest that plumbers are worth £30 per hour. From this it can be argued that Mr Taylor believes that as "hard working, caring" professionals we are worth less than two thirds the value of a plumber.

The year 2002 was not a year of money grabbing as Mr Taylor claims but rather the awakening of pharmacists as to their true value. Such attitudes that would have us pay more to a plumber than a hard working, caring health professional dedicated to trying to provide excellent health service and error-free dispensing will have many preregistration trainees reaching for the monkey-wrench.

I hope we will see a sensible conclusion to the ongoing problem of variation in locum rates, and pharmacists (locum and employee) remunerated and respected appropriately.

Richard Harris
Birmingham

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