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Reciprocity
Make it easier for overseas pharmacists to work in Britain
From Mr V. M. Summers, MRPharmS
I read the section entitled “Reciprocal registration agreements” in
the report of the October meeting of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Council (PJ, 11 October 2003, p524) with some alarm. For many years the
mainstay of locums available to the hospital pharmacy service (and probably
to the community, too) in the UK have been pharmacists from Australia
and New Zealand who wish to travel and work temporarily in the UK.
This ending of the reciprocal agreement is likely to have a significant
impact on the number of pharmacists available as locums to hard-pressed
hospital pharmacies. Have members of the Council really thought this
through before approving it? We have had an acknowledged
shortage of pharmacists in the UK for several years, which is even now affecting
community pharmacy (PJ, 29 November 2003, p730). The new schools of pharmacy
will have no impact on pharmacist numbers for several years and the profession
has managed to steer itself high up the health agenda in the four health
administrations, which will result in investment in pharmacy.
The Society should be looking at ways of making it easier for overseas
pharmacists with equivalent qualifications to work in the UK, not harder.
Even the Government has got this message by placing pharmacists on the
list of shortage professions for the speedier awarding of work permits.
Vince Summers
Chief Pharmacist
Borders General Hospital
Melrose, Roxburghshire
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ANN LEWIS, Secretary and Registrar, Royal Pharmaceutical Society,
replies:
When this issue was considered, the Council recognised the
importance not only of maintaining standards for entry to the
register but also ensuring that the criteria are applied consistently
for
all applicants. The decision will not come into effect until
the necessary regulations have been made and change in process
agreed.
Discussions are also to be held with relevant bodies in Australia
and New Zealand. |
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