The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7478 p564-565
17 November 2007

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• Retention fees (3)
• Pack sizes
• Supervision (2)
• Safety (3)
• Locum pharmacy
• NHS and pricing (3)
• The Society (2)

Letters to the Editor

Locum pharmacy

Locum rates

From Miss S. Nasima, MRPharmS

David Sevage (PDF 50K) quotes £27 to £30 as example locum rates (PJ, 10 November 2007, p531). I am not sure whether rates vary across the country, but I work for just over two-thirds of that amount and I certainly do not believe I could hold anyone to ransom over my rate.

Most days it feels the other way round. And I always try to be reliable and as efficient as possible.

Any pharmacists employing locums should ask themselves what rate would they expect for a job that might involve travelling to some place they have most likely never heard of, never mind been to, working in a dispensary that may or may not be based on the Greek alphabet, where the Controlled Drugs register and pharmacist-only-medicines book could be hidden away in the darkest corner of the dispensary, the BNF, Medicines Ethics and Practice and Drug Tariff are non-existent and staff range from trainees to highly experienced.

On top of this the staff, and most importantly the customers, expect you to work as promptly and efficiently as the regular pharmacist. Based on this I think rates should vary according to the dispensary, staff and number of items the pharmacy does in a day.

Sabiya Nasima
Birmingham

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