MAY,Edition # 26, 2001

Day One...I receive a letter from Ken Stafford, Day Two I respond:

A special mention in my spot for Ken Stafford.
Did you read his words of wisdom? ..
No, Ken ... I am not being facetious.
Your response was (I think) concise and to the point - not like my own rantings and ravings.
Well done, Mate ... it takes real courage to move from being a Lurker to being a respondent, especially when you take a shot at Old "Krusty"... !
I repeat the title of my last article - Honesty in Pharmacy.
I really, HONESTLY, don't mind ANYONE taking a shot at me - just be HONEST - leave the crap to the politicians - THEY are good at it, and know no other way.

Editors Note:
For the full text of Ken Stafford's comments, please follow this link.

Roy "Krusty" Stevenson responds in detail:

Ken - none of this is new ...
Good to see that someone "reads us" !!
It takes courage to move from a lurker, to a non-lurker.
I - for one - welcome your comments.
You are now - like me - in the firing line!!
Your thoughts are the thoughts of all thinking Pharmacists.
You should not quote any of the writers on the Computachem site out of context. We are all, with YOU!
However (isn't there always a "however"?) my own in-context comments support your questioning of a system which has allowed us to reach the situation which you so eloquently document.

[Ken]
"Community pharmacy has fallen into the trap of having to dispense umpteen hundreds of prescriptions in the shortest possible time to be financially viable. How can a single pharmacist, dispensing 2-300 scripts a day in some cases, possibly counsel patients, carry out other pharmceutical care activities and still keep up to date? I'm sorry, it's just not on."

[Roy"Krusty" S]
Mate - I took this view some years ago, and went along with the "change" concept - to the point where it almost destroyed me.
Perhaps I took the easy option, by selling my Pharmacy and stepping away from the day-to-day problems of running a pharmacy.

[Ken]
"I am now a free agent, able to go with Pharmacy, wherever it goes in the future. I am fortunate in the fact that, except for one day a week, I work in a different facet of the profession that permits me to concentrate on the "more fun" aspects of pharmacy ie counselling and education."

[Roy "Krusty" S]
Ken - have you EVER owned a Pharmacy?
Your comments indicate that you have NOT.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Do you deal with GST on a day to day basis?
That single item is a huge impost on business generally.
My commentary is based on 25 years as a proprietor Pharmacist, and, for the last five to ten years, trying to make money while we are being screwed by bureaucracy..... "different facet of the profession" .... hhhmmmmm.... do you work one day in the real world, and screw us for the other four???
If I am wrong, stand up and give me a king hit.
You KNOW where I (underline and emphasise) am coming from.

[Ken]
"I do not believe that "assembly line" pharmacy is in our best interests. How could our leaders have allowed this current situation to develop?
Our strength is in the field of drug usage and remuneration must be based on being able to apply this.
Consultant pharmacy and medication management is possibly where we should, as a profession, addressing our efforts."

[Roy S Stevenson]
Ken - six years of my life spent trying, and failing, to apply this concept - READ MY ARTICLE.
How good are YOU at it?...
I am a hell of a lot better when I am not a pharmacist, and not (also) a proprietor.
Come in and test me ... I will tell you where I am on any range of dates .. where will you be, so that we can test you out?
I have spent lots and lots of dollars trying to make this happen, but it seems that the system, our leaders, and the bureaucracy, might not want that to happen. Ridiculous??
I base these comments on EXPERIENCE, from someone who is REALLY trying!

[Ken]
"I realise that dispensing prescriptions pays the bills but let us be serious about it, what other profession would expect to make a "profit" of about $40 on supply of a $2000 item?
This is the scenario for a pharmacy dispensing a high cost item such as alteplase or a Section 100 drug.
If we continue to think like shop keepers we will continue to be treated like shop keepers."

[Roy S Stevenson]
Wonderful words Ken - tell us how we can change that situation .... we look forward to it.

Days Three and Four and Five....into my quality control mode:

I stood in a Pharmacy at 10.00am on Day Three, and thought, "this one MUST be a Guild Quality Care Accredited Pharmacy - everything is in place - where is the logo?
I am proudly told that they did it last year.
Don't know if I can practice to THEIR standards!
I stood in a Pharmacy at 10.00am on Day Four, and thought "this one MUST be a Guild Quality Care Accredited Pharmacy - everyone is well trained and things are happening behind me.
This is good, they are working at it, and everyone knows their place in the Team. Everything is in place.
I am proudly told that they did it months ago.
They will make it a good place to work in.
I stood outside a Pharmacy on Day Five at 9.00am, and was surprised to see the logo on the shop front.
These guys have won it, and then lost it ...
The problem must be the Team Leader ... maybe they will pick it up again ....

Day Six and it's my turn for quality accreditation:

This Locum Pharmacist is embarking on the Quality Care Locum Accreditation thing.
If/when I get it, my hourly rate will go up to $100 per hour.
The Guild tells me that Accredited Pharmacies will be seeking out Accredited Locums in the near future.
As someone else said "pigs might fly backwards!"

Day Seven and I prepare for my profitable future:

The Roy Stevenson Telephone Pharmacist Locum availability and Booking Service is now open for business, and I am about to promote it to pharmacies in the Newcastle/ Hunter Valley/Central Coast.
I hope that my idea makes checking my availability in these areas easier, as well as making my own life as a locum easier.
I can still remember that I found calling around guys like me, somewhat humiliating (might not be the right word, but I bloody hated it....!).
The last thing I wanted to do was TALK to the guy.
I only wanted to find out if he was available (for one lousy week off!).
Subscribers in all areas can try this concept -
Call (02) 49 75 5548 and check it out.
If you want to continue to be a Lurker, I will never know you have been there.
The machine does not do caller i.d. - why would I want to??
HOWEVER - it would be nice if you left a message telling me what you think.
I am especially interested in negative comments, then I can fix them.
Other like-minded locums in your own areas might like to leave a message.
This thing can handle up to six locums - I only want Good Guys.
But ("but" ... a good Australian word improperly used) only Guild Quality Care ... Fellas ... !!! ... I have to tell you, IT MIGHT JUST WORK!
Does that go against anything I have said before?

The week is over...let us pray:

No jokes this session-
I don't feel funny after doing three rounds (total of 12 hours) with a GST "we're here to help you" Guy.
If anyone wants to hear more about this, stop being a lurker, and leave a message with the editor.
I only need a LITTLE bit of encouragement!
Or you might like to call 49 75 5548 and leave a message to cheer me up!
Ends

Editor's Note:
With a unique brand of humour and a high degree of professionalism, it is obvious that Roy is providing a first class service as a locum.
I am sure there are a number of prospective empoyers who would like to meet him. He now has a website located at:

http://www.computachem.com.au/locums/RoyStevenson.html

You can arrange more information, and a locum booking, from this site.

Roy S.Stevenson Ph.C. M.P.S.,
Locum Pharmacist
40 Northminster Way
RATHMINES 2283.
Tel 4975 5548 Mob. 0402 406 691 Fax 0249 75 2334
ABN 11 585 465 385

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