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Trudy Thomas is a part-time prescribing adviser
for Canterbury and Coastal PCT, a locum pharmacist and a CPPE tutor |
A locum takes the place of the pharmacist who would normally work in
a particular pharmacy. This may be to cover illness, or annual leave
or to help during busy periods.
 Many locum pharmacists will have a “locum from hell” story.
Likely ingredients will be a dispensary lay-out based on the Jupitan
alphabet, staff who do nothing or do not turn up, and computers that
either have to be wound up, or need a higher degree in IT to even turn
them on. Locuming can be hard work.
However, being a locum can also be an extremely rewarding and enjoyable
experience. Working as a locum pharmacist has a lot of benefits. You
can be flexible about where and when you work and the hours you keep.
Pharmacy staff welcome good locums — you can be treated like
visiting royalty. No two pharmacies are alike, so locuming is good
for those who like variety. You certainly will not get bored!
Getting locum work
So how do you go about getting locum work? The most obvious option is
to join a locum agency. There are certainly plenty to choose from. There
is no charge to pharmacists who sign on with an agency. Agencies make
their money through the extra fee they charge the client who uses their
service. You need to watch the agreement you sign with the agency. The
agency will not want to arrange work for you one day, only for you to
make a private arrangement with the pharmacy owner the next.
You do not have to use an agency to get locum work. You can call at
the local pharmacy and introduce yourself. You could contact the person
who organises the locums for the multiple pharmacies in your area. Local
branch meetings and continuing education events are a good way to make
contact with local pharmacists.
Hours and lunch breaks
It is important to negotiate hours to suit yourself. If your locum is
arranged through an agency or the central office of a multiple, it is
worth checking with the particular pharmacy what time you will be expected
to start and finish work. There is nothing worse than arriving promptly
at 9am to find a huge queue of impatient customers because the pharmacy
opened at 8.30am. Likewise if you have been told the pharmacy shuts at
5pm and it does not close until 7pm, you cannot just put your coat on
at 5pm and leave them to it.
You should establish whether you will be getting meal breaks. Many locums
choose not to take time out during the day, because they do not get paid
when not working. Some pharmacies insist on breaks. Smaller pharmacies
may close for lunch.
Being self employed If you are self employed, you must arrange to make your own tax and
national insurance payments. If you employ an accountant, as many locum
pharmacists do, he or she will be able to advise you. Your local tax
office can also give you advice. Unlike PAYE (pay as you earn), tax payments
by the self-employed are due twice a year. There is often a delay between
registering with the Inland Revenue and the first payment being due.
It is important to put tax money safely away, so that you have sufficient
funds when the first bill arrives.
You are required to complete a tax return every year, which itemises
the money you have earned. This will be offset against any genuine business
expenses. You may be able to claim some of your costs involved with running
a car and travelling (if not already reimbursed). Other business expenses
such as a mobile phone, training and stationery may be allowable. Your
professional registration fee and professional indemnity insurance can
also be off-set against tax.
Indemnity insurance
In the event that you make an error in the
course of your work, indemnity insurance will pay for the resulting
legal costs
and, if necessary,
compensation to anyone who suffered as a result. Pharmacies which
belong to the National Pharmaceutical Association will have indemnity
insurance, which should cover you while you are working for them.
However, there have been questions raised recently about what would
happen in the event of a dispute between the pharmacy owner and
the locum. If the pharmacist owner believed that the error had
arisen as a result of the locum not following pharmacy procedures,
for example, then the NPA indemnity insurance would protect the
owner and not the locum. The same is true for pharmacists working
in the NHS. The NHS has insurance which covers its employees. The
difficulty would arise if there was a dispute between two employees
(eg, a doctor and a pharmacist). Because of these grey areas, many
pharmacists have taken out personal indemnity insurance. Companies
specialising in this kind of insurance regularly advertise in the
pharmaceutical press. The cost of the insurance will vary depending
on the policy, but is likely to be in the region of £150–£200
for a year’s cover. |
Top ten tips
1. Get organised. Get a diary and use it to record the hours you work
and for whom. You can use this to check that you have been paid for all
your work and it should ensure that you do not double book yourself.
2. Check your payments carefully. Not all companies issue pay slips.
Some pay cash in hand. You must record these payments for tax purposes.
3. Make sure that you have claimed the right rate. Some multiples have
different rates for different areas of the country and for different
days and hours of the week.
4. Pack a bag for work. Keep useful references, equipment and telephone
numbers for your personal use. Do not forget your lunch!
5. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. A locum pharmacist can easily
be on their feet for a full eight-hour shift or more.
6. Do not say “yes” to everyone. Remember to give yourself
some time off every week. If you say no, it does not necessarily mean
that they will not ask you again.
7. Remember to take your registration certificate. It is a legal requirement
for the pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy to display their certificate.
Portable versions are available from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
8. Try to fit in at the pharmacy. Locums who rearrange the entire dispensary
on the manager’s day off are seldom popular. However, in fitting
in, do not let yourself be professionally compromised. At the end of
the day you are responsible for what happens in that pharmacy on the
day you are there.
9. Leave details of where you can be contacted the next day in the event
of an emergency.
10. Do not go home with the CD keys!
All-in-all locum pharmacy offers a challenging and exciting career,
which is not for the faint-hearted or the work-shy. It offers an amazing
way to learn a lot about the professional of pharmacy and about yourself.
Happy locuming!
Things to check before working as a locum
• Where the pharmacy is — where to park
• Opening hours
• Meal breaks
• Payment — how much will you get paid and how do you claim
it
• Support staff — how many will there be, are they experienced,
will there be help with dispensing?
• Will someone open and close the pharmacy?
• Computer system — is it one you’ve used
before? Will someone know how to start it first thing? (Most computers
have
passwords, and if no one knows this, you will be hand-writing
labels).
Is there a helpline number?
• Ordering — are you expected to order? How is stock ordered?
What times do orders arrive? What are the deadlines for delivery?
• Owed items — what is the procedure?
• Where are the CD keys, register and cupboard?
• What other duties will you be required to do? Eg, banking, cashing
up, endorsing prescriptions, filing prescriptions, opening the
mail
• What other services are offered by the pharmacy, eg, supply of
products under patient group direction, oxygen, pregnancy testing,
supervised methadone consumption (check you are eligible to carry
out these duties). Are any services offered to addicts? Are services
provided to care homes?
• How busy is the pharmacy? When are the busy times? How will you
cope if it is very busy? |
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