Co-op pharmacist suspended for falsely claiming £22k in MUR payments

Oh dear! Mr PW could well have felt pressurised to meet the targets by senior managment and as time goes on we need to think about how pharmacists get treated in their job role as community pharmacists.

Pharmacists often mention the pressure on them is growing, salaries bottom out and senior management ride pharmacists until they drop and get a fresh one in to ride into the ground.

unfortunately, it is the way of the world.

13 years ago when I carried out financial audits I used to refer to this as fraud. Obviously in these modern times that is no longer the case.

I just posted the comment below on another article in the C&D today on GP "burnout".
I know it is not a full explanation or excuse for the conduct of this pharmacist but I do wonder how much of a factor it may have been.


"More and more pharmacists are working as employees, often seen as little more than financial production units by the multiples and with decreasing status. Add on the increasing workload, targets, and beaurocracy and then combine it with the downward pressure on salary and even unemployment and I can see a real and increasing problem with the likes of ‘burnout’ etc."

Yep, fraud and dishonesty for both his employer and the NHS. Hope the individual receives help though if they have the personal, medical and family problems quoted.

Simply fraud

A heavy price to pay for a paltry bonus, with a substantial fee profit for the employers.This needs to be investigated further, to determine whether he was under pressure to accrue the numbers as alleged, and if so the principal to be accountable for it to the GPHC.

Some area managers can be Intimidating and disciplinary measures are frequently threatened for non delivery of MUR targets. I don't condone fraud but neither do I accept that bullying should be allowed without serious repercussions on those guilty of it.

I don't think anyone is condoning fraud and looking at WP's registration number an experienced pharmacist at that.

Equally, community pharmacist do a good job for their patients overwhelmingly and as a profession we need our regulators and professional bodies to seriously consider safeguards for pharmacists to have a balance with how these targeting systems need to be delivered ethically and with responsible care of duty by employers too.

Targets are important and systems for acheiving them should be monitored, a supportive employers with well motivated staff is better than an over pressurised work force putting patients, coleagues and the profession at risk.

The issue of MUR and NMS is a time bomb, after working at many corporate pharmacies who have no-regard for Drug Tarriff guidance continue to pressure pharmacists to undertake such services for corporate monetary gain with responsibility devolved to the RP when things go wrong, hope all PCT's are monitoring and requesting audits to see all such conducted services provided by their contracted pharmacies since October 2011 to ensure proper claim atleast to prevent themselves from counter claims of incompetencies and to protect public funds.

pressure from non-pharmacist line managers who dont know understand the legality of professionalism or more to the fact a total disregard for professions and their duties- hope the consultaion of Modernising Pharmacy regulations addresses this public safety issue

This is an issue that can no longer be ignored. This is a matter for us all and we need the clout of someone like the PDA to fight this before we read of a pharmacist in this situation facing GPHc and attempting to take their own life.