We should all put patients first - it's our number one priority and is top of the list in our code of ethics...but what if putting a patient first results in a loss?
 
Nobody in business should work for nothing...even worse if it costs money!
 
For the last month we've been putting patients first by ordering gabapentin for them assuming that due to the shortages of the product and the fact that the price was rising - a concessionary price would eventually be agreed.
 
How disappointing it was last Friday to see a price concession far below market price brought in for the month of October...The DOH said  "...indicate that stock is available at a wide range of prices for gabapentin, and we acknowledge that some is quite high when compared to the proposed concession prices, it also shows that the majority of stock on the market is available at or below the proposed price from multiple suppliers." I'm not sure which suppliers the DOH have been looking at, because the price I was quoted today from all our suppliers is well above concession - even from the large suppliers!
 
I recognise that this is a complex area; but we really need an answer that is fair to all.
 
Another non regular patient presented with a prescription for 420 loperamide capsules today...this product is unavailable at the 30 size and is cat M. The only way of dispensing this prescription is to use "over the counter product" at a significant loss...He had visited a lot of pharmacies before he got to us... 
 
I recognise that It's very frustrating for contractors to dispense at a loss, but the alternative is that patients suffer; and sadly many pharmacists are really struggling with this ethical dilemma?

I attended the South Tyneside substance misuse update on 2nd October.
 
Gateshead contractors and staff have regular updates with the substance misuse team, but there have been none in South Tyneside for many years - and this one has been a long time coming...
 
It was a truly informative, and enjoyable, evening of networking with staff from the substance misuse service and colleagues who offer supervised administration of drugs.
 
We heard background on how the service operates for the benefit of service users, the guidelines that are used by the service and the reasons behind the guidelines. We tackled some scenarios in small groups that helped us to think about clients in perhaps a  different way. Pharmacy staff were able to highlight services that are available in pharmacies to the substance misuse staff and how community pharmacy can add to the care of these often very vulnerable people with many co-morbidities.
 
We all took something away from the meeting, and agreed that this type of forum was a good way to improve communications.
 
We also agreed that a regular update/networking meeting would be desirable...The LPC will advertise the next update as soon as details are sorted, but in the mean time if you would like a particular topic on the agenda, please email the committee.