Pharmacists spend two days a month chasing out-of-stock drugs
Sort Out Stocks The burden of stock shortages increased over the past year, a C+D survey has suggested, and the average pharmacist now spends at least two working days each month chasing out-of-stock medicines.
The burden of stock shortages increased over the past year, a C+D survey has suggested, with the average pharmacist spending at least two working days a month chasing out-of-stock medicines.
Pharmacists spent on average 15 hours a month last year ringing manufacturers and wholesalers to get hold of out-of-stock drugs, the C+D Stocks Survey 2012 found – a 5 per cent increase on 2011.
More than half of the 371 respondents said they found it harder to get hold of branded medicines in 2012 compared with the year before.
Time pharmacists spend sourcing out-of-stock drugs per average week
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Less than an hour 10% 1-2 hours 33% 2-5 hours 39% 5-10 hours 13% More than 10 hours 5% |
| Source: C+D Stocks Survey 2012, Dec 2012-Jan 2013, 371 respondents |
The results suggest that stock shortages wasted 2.5 million hours of potential patient-contact time in 2012 across the country's 13,700 pharmacies.
At least 90 per cent of respondents could have exceeded their MUR targets in the time they spent chasing medicines in 2012. Five per cent of them could have delivered more than double their quota of half-hour interventions, but were instead forced to spend more than 10 hours every week sourcing out-of-stock drugs.
More on stock shortages
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C+D Sort Out Stocks campaignThe problem caused by stock shortages for patients is not quickly resolved even when pharmacists have found a supplier. The survey found that manufacturers are failing to meet government guidelines – which say pharmacists should receive medicines within 24 hours of ordering – in at least six in every 10 cases.
More than 40 per cent typically had to wait three days for an emergency supply from manufacturers and 17 per cent of readers typically waited for more than four days. Just 14 per cent of readers said they received emergency supplies within 24 hours "most of the time".
Pharmacy manager Kamal Patel said some weeks were worse than others at his Hinckley Health Centre Pharmacy, West Midlands. He said he spent up to one and a half hours a day trying to get hold of the medication for just one prescription, with manufacturer quotas causing him the most pain.
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"I do it now as part of my daily routine," he said. "I don't think about it anymore as I know it is going to happen. If I could take that part out of my day I would have a lot more time to do other services." He said he always ensured his patients left his pharmacy with their medication, so they were often unaware of the problem. "I think it is undervalued, the time we spend chasing stock," Mr Patel told C+D. "People just take it for granted because the shelves look fully stocked and they assume we must have the drug. But it takes a lot to comprehend how we get the drug on the shelf in order that the patient gets it." Numark managing director John D'Arcy agreed that pharmacists were not acknowledged for the work they did while in the "firing line" of stock shortages. In November, pharmacy minister Earle Howe told the all party pharmacy group (APPG) that the approach to medicines supply was "working well". "It is working well because pharmacists are making it work well," Mr D'Arcy told C+D. "They are managing the problem and trying to manage patient demand. But all the time that pharmacists are spending doing it is time when they are not speaking to patients directly about their medicines. It is a lot of time and a lot of hassle." Mr D'Arcy called for the government to revisit the APPG's recommendations made last May. "The problem is, at best, the same as when the APPG made its recommendations. It hasn't been alleviated so [the recommendations] are as good now as they were then." |
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Stock shortages timelineNovember 2011 The all party pharmacy group (APPG) announces an inquiry into medicines shortages. March 2012 Pharmacy minister Earl Howe claims there is "no hard evidence" of patient harm from shortages and claims that government supply-chain measures are running smoothly. April 2012 Health minister Simon Burns announces that the Department of Health is considering a one-off survey of community pharmacists to examine the impact of stock shortages. May 2012 The APPG publishes its report setting out recommendations to help solve stock shortages. It demands that the government gives its shortage-ending efforts a "renewed sense of urgency" to protect patients and free up pharmacists' time. June 2012 An audit by Devon LPC reveals that across 66 pharmacies, each averaged more than three shortage problems a week during a two-week period, with almost a quarter of medicine supply delays leading to patient harm. November 2012 Earl Howe says the current approach to medicines supply is "working well" and he is not aware of shortages causing patient harm. He says the government is looking for ways to make quota arrangements "simpler, less burdensome for pharmacists and more transparent". December 2012 In a C+D poll, 88 per cent of nearly 100 readers said that the government's approach to medicines supply was not working and that action was needed. |
Waiting times for delivery of emergency stock ordered from manufacturer
(Percentage of respondents)
| Source: C+D Stocks Survey 2012, Dec 2012-Jan 2013, 371 respondents |
C+D has launched a petition as part of its Sort Out Stocks campaign, calling for the government to accept that a shortage in prescription medicines is still a problem for both pharmacists and patients in the UK.
We will also be providing you with tools and resources to allow your own patients to tell their stories of how shortages are affecting them, so together we can make the case for action. Pharmacists can back the campaign and sign the petition here.
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Have you signed C+D's petition to sort out stocks? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook |
