'Just this once': when the pharmacist steps out

Introduction

Every community pharmacy has moments when the pharmacist is not on the premises. What the rest of the team can do in that hour is set by law, by the pharmacist's own arrangements and by the pharmacy's SOPs. This scenario is about a technician who was asked to keep things moving and had to decide where the line was.

What happened?

A pharmacy technician was working with two counter assistants. The Responsible Pharmacist signed out for an hour to visit a care home. Before leaving she said 'you know the drill'.

Within ten minutes a regular patient came to collect a prescription that had been dispensed and checked earlier. Then a customer asked for a Pharmacy (P) medicine for a cough. Then a delivery arrived with a controlled drug for the register. Then the surgery rang to ask whether a prescription could be changed to a different strength.

The technician handed out the checked prescription, following the pharmacy's SOP for handing out during the pharmacist's absence. She told the customer with the cough that the P medicine could not be sold until the pharmacist was back, offered a general sales product in the meantime, and offered to hold the P medicine aside. She signed for the delivery and put the controlled drug in the cabinet unopened, leaving the register entry for the pharmacist. She took a message from the surgery. When the pharmacist returned, the technician gave her a list of everything that had waited.

What was the concern?

There was no incident. The concern in this scenario is the pressure the technician felt to say yes to everything, and the vague hand-over of 'you know the drill'. The team had no written summary of what could and could not happen in the pharmacist's absence, so each person was working from memory.

What was the outcome?

The technician raised it at the next team meeting. The pharmacy wrote a one page absence sheet, based on its SOPs and the Responsible Pharmacist's own record, listing what continues and what waits, and who to contact if the absence runs over. It is now shown to every new starter and kept by the till.

What can we learn?

1. Know the rules for your pharmacy before the moment arrives. Ask for them in writing.
2. Sales of P medicines need a pharmacist. If the pharmacist is not there, they wait or the customer is signposted. Do not be talked into 'just this once'.
3. Some activities may continue in the pharmacist's absence under the SOPs the Responsible Pharmacist has set. Others do not. Learn which is which in your pharmacy.
4. The pharmacist's absence is recorded, with times, and has a legal limit. Know what happens if it is going to run over.
5. When in doubt, wait. Keep a list of what waited, so the pharmacist can deal with it first.

Relevant pharmacy practice

The Responsible Pharmacist is accountable for the safe and effective running of the pharmacy. The law allows the Responsible Pharmacist to be absent for a limited period each day, and sets out which activities can continue in that time under procedures the pharmacist has established. Pharmacy medicines are supplied under the supervision of a pharmacist. The rules on supervision have been changing, so always work from your pharmacy's current SOPs and the pharmacist's instructions rather than from memory.

PPets learning connection

The Responsible Pharmacist regulations and the limits of the technician's role are covered in the Level 3 Diploma. This scenario is a good basis for a professional discussion with your assessor.

Record this as CPD

Registered pharmacy technicians can use this article towards GPhC revalidation, as an unplanned CPD entry or as the starting point for a reflective account. Pharmacy assistants and trainees can use it as evidence of reflective practice. Note down three things:

1. What you learned from this article
2. How you have applied it, or will apply it, in your own role
3. The benefit to the people who use your pharmacy's services

Sources and further reading

• GPhC standards and guidance for pharmacy professionals
• The Medicines (Pharmacies) (Responsible Pharmacist) Regulations 2008

Related from PPets

• Level 3 Diploma for pharmacy technicians
• How to become a pharmacy technician

This article is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, professional regulatory advice or clinical advice about an individual patient. Always follow your pharmacy's SOPs and check current official guidance and product information.

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