PHARMACY legal defence group PDL has issued an alert to proprietors of pharmacies around issues that have arisen in recent times, exposing legal risk.
One issue that has emerged is that some proprietors have failed to check the assumed credentials of a pharmacist employed by them.
In one case, a proprietor employed a pharmacist who was not actually qualified or registered with AHPRA.
PDL says, "This oversight will have serious ramifications with the pharmacy regulators and could jeopardise the pharmacy's professional indemnity insurance.
"When employing pharmacists, the proprietor should request registration details and also check the AHPRA register to ensure no conditions apply that will affect employment.
"The same checks will also be required for proprietors engaging AACP accredited pharmacists or accredited Diabetes Educators."
Pharmacist vaccination provides another area where both proprietors and employed pharmacists are at risk, PDL said.
"Most jurisdictions require vaccinators to regularly update their first aid and CPR training," according to the update, which urged proprietors to request proof of this before they allow pharmacists to immunise.
The third area of deficiency PDL identified related to the lack of current contact details of clients receiving opioid replacement therapy, as was demonstrated recently when a locum pharmacist accidently provided methadone takeaways that were twice the correct dose.
Proprietors are also reminded they must visit their pharmacies regularly and maintain open lines of communication.
A related problem PDL named is the lack of awareness of a proprietor pharmacist about details of how the pharmacy is run.
PDL referred to a case where a large amount of S8 drugs were diverted by an employed pharmacist - see pdl.org.au.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 22 Mar 19
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