Kelly Osamudiamen Osadolor, registration number 2075520, has been warned by the GPhC after it found they “remotely” checked prescriptions via WhatsApp “on a frequent basis” and approved them with a “thumbs up emoji”.
In a hearing on October 13-16, the GPhC’s fitness-to-practise (FtP) committee heard that the misconduct took place on six dates between October 19 2022 and June 26 2023, while Osadolor was “not physically present at the pharmacy” despite being the responsible pharmacist.
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On those dates, the pharmacy remained open “despite not having a registered pharmacist onsite” and prescriptions were “prepared and/or given out by unqualified staff”, the hearing documents said.
Osadolor received photographs of “prescriptions and/or medication” from pharmacy staff “using WhatsApp” and “replied with a thumbs up emoji or response to that effect to confirm that staff could supply the medication”, it added.
The committee also heard that on October 19 2022, when Osadolor was “aware there was no responsible pharmacist present at the pharmacy”, they were absent for “approximately eight hours” without “arranging for the pharmacy to close and/or cease dispensing medication”.
“Must not be repeated”
The regulator acknowledged that Osadolor has “remediated” their misconduct, does “not pose an ongoing risk to the public” and is “not impaired in the wider public interest of declaring and upholding standards and maintaining public confidence in the profession”.
However, it stressed that their actions were “unacceptable, unprofessional and fell below the standards acceptable for a registered pharmacy professional”, “brought the profession of pharmacy into disrepute” and “breached fundamental tenets” of the profession.
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It said that it took “into account” Osadolor’s “remorse, remediation and full insight” but “decided that there does need to be a public acknowledgement that [their] conduct was unacceptable”.
The committee concluded that a warning “is required to stand as a reminder” of the “importance of behaving in a professional manner at all times, in particular to refrain from leaving a pharmacy without a responsible pharmacist and remotely checking prescriptions via a phone”.
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It said that “such actions may place patients at risk and negatively affect the reputation of pharmacy professionals and must not be repeated”.
The warning will be published on the register and will be available for 12 months, it added.
Read the determination in full here.
