Management Conundrums
In each edition of Pharmacy Management a management conundrum is posed using the fictitious scenario of Riverdale PCO and Metropolis NHS Hospital Trust.
Various commentators will make practical suggestions and offer solutions to each issue raised.
A number of changes have come about since our fictitious scenario was first described in April 2003.
Ms Morphine has died in a tragic road accident and her role as Chief Pharmacist has been taken over by the more dynamic and much younger Janet Donnit. The ambitious career manager, Mr Greysuit, has also moved up the ladder from his director post and become the Chief Executive in the PCO. He’s a man to watch – he still regards professionals with some suspicion!
Some new characters have also appeared. Meet Clive Black, the high profile, media mad hospital Chief Executive. Will he be a match for Mr Greysuit and thwart his plans to downsize the Trust and do more work in primary care? Other additions in the Metropolis NHS Trust are Mohammed Mixture, the oncology pharmacist who is a supplementary prescriber, and Colette Capsule the Senior Pharmacy Technician. In the PCO, meet Peter Pill, the keen young Community Pharmacist who wants to develop his clinical skills.
 Organisations and Characters
An introduction to the fictitious characters playing out each conundrum
Case Study - Recruiting and retaining staff
Ms Morphine, the senior hospital pharmacy manager, has a problem. She seems to be having difficulty recruiting and retaining staff...
Case Study - Can developing Community Pharmacy really be this hard?
Dr Whitecoat commenced in post recently as the PCO Pharmacy Manager. Her past clinical experience in a large teaching hospital will serve her well, particularly in the prescribing aspects of her role. She recognises, however, that she has only had limited experience of Community Pharmacy...
Case Study - What's in a name?
Janet Donnit, the young and dynamic hospital pharmacist at the Metropolis NHS Hospital Trust, brightly introduced herself to the poorly-sighted elderly gentleman who had recently been admitted into the Medical Admissions Unit after a fall. She explained that she would be reviewing his drug history and together they checked through the bag of medications, which he had brought in with him, and the repeat prescription request form provided by his GP surgery. Whilst looking at the packs to check whether they would be suitable for the Patient’s Own Drugs scheme, she noticed that the box labelled atenolol 50mg, which had been dispensed the week before, actually contained amitriptyline 50mg tablets. Luckily, the patient had only taken three tablets, but could it have contributed to his admission?
Case Study - Unlicensed/off-label medication – should these be prescribed by GPs?
Janet Donnit has recently been given responsibility for two of the paediatric wards in the children's hospital. A patient was recently commenced on two new drugs during their stay. One of the drugs, which is relatively expensive, is on the PCO formulary but is only licensed for adult use. The other is an unlicensed, relatively inexpensive, ‘special’ drug. Both medicines will be required for long-term treatment
Management Conundrums - Do out-of-hours pharmacy services meet patient needs?
|
