How do I report a DISPENSING CHEMIST FOR MAL-PRACTISE ??

Question

How would I go about reporting a Chemist for mal-practice on several occations now I have been given the wrong pricscription tablets.

This chemist has a notice in the shop that reads

IT IS THE RESPOSABILITY OF THE CUSTOMER TO CHECK THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT ITEMS WHEN COLLECTING THER PRISCRIPTION

How is the customer to know if he/she has the right drugs. After all ther a hundereds of trade mname drugs that do exactly the same thing.

Answer 1

There should be a Board for that....if you can't get through to the owners.

Answer 2

You already have a very good answer to your question that can't be improved upon, but just had to say that this probably happens more than most people realise. Two of my relatives have experienced the same thing in the past and both went ahead and took the wrong medication, as they trusted both the doctor and the pharmacist. The first was only a child, she was given the correct medication but the wrong dosage on the label. It was an iron tonic in liquid form, so her mother administered the dose for a couple of days, until it was obvious that the child was in some distress; she was suffering from an overdose of iron! The second case involved a relative, who's rarely sick but who'd been diagnosed as having a virus and was prescribed an antibiotic. She checked that her name was on the label, so presumed she had the correct medication. Some days later she was feeling even worse and her daughter asked to see what medication she was taking. She immediately recognised the name on the label as being an anti-depressent, of which her mother had been taking quite a high dose! It took her quite a long time to get over the effects of this medication! On leaving a pharmacy I simply check to ensure it's my name on the bag; if I knew I'd been prescribed tablets, but had been given liquid medication, then obviously I would query it. The general public, however, are not trained pharmacists and should not be expected to know the names of various drugs and their uses, unless it's something they regularly take. These types of mistakes could prove to be fatal; at least scripts are now computer generated rather than hand-written, which SHOULD practically eliminate the errors.

Answer 3

The dispensing pharmacist is the person at fault.. Are you absolutely sure the medications vary from those prescribed.. The notice you quote, I have never seen a similar one in any chemist I have visited. . Either contact the owners/proprietors of the chemist to register your complaint. You could also advise your doctor as he would be concerned if different medications to those that he prescribed were being dispensed. One point though. The doctor prescribes the actual drug/medicine by its generic name. There might be different manufacturers of this same medication each with different brand names although they are identical ,, Sometimes a chemist might supply one brand, and a month or two later a different brand , but there is no difference in the medicine.. It is still what the doctor ordered. I am sure there is a local body in each area to whom pharmacists are responsible .

Answer 4

It is actually The Royal Pharmaceutical Society that you would need to complain to.

All pharmacists who practise in Great Britain have to be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and all registered pharmacies are inspected by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The RPSGB is responsible for ensuring that all pharmacists and pharmacy owners act in accordance with the Code of Ethics and with the laws relating to medicines and poisons.

The Society can deal with:

* complaints about the professional service provided by a pharmacist/pharmacy at all levels of healthcare, eg, a dispensing error, wrong labelling, or out of date medicine supplied
* complaints about the conduct of a pharmacist, eg, unprofessional behaviour
* complaints against owners of pharmacies including companies

Contact:

Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]

Also see their website, which gives you more guidelines, etc.

Answer 5

Check the wording on the script
ensure it corresponds to the medication dispensed
It's not really rocket science......sometimes taking your own responsibility (with note to disclaimer of fault by chemist) saves a great deal of money for the average joe that cannot afford a lawsuit!
Mate.. there are larger things in life to worry over!

Answer 6

A disclaimer does not relieve him of the legal responsibility.

You can contact your state. Look for a general telephone number since the agency name may be different from state to state.

You are correct to complain. An incorrect prescription will not only fail to treat the condition for which it was intended but may cause damage and serious illness.

Answer 7

Depends which country you are in, if you are in the UK you could try the following, I'm sure they could put you on the right track:

National Patient Safety Agency (Corporate Office)
4-8 Maple Street, London W1T 5HD
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Answer 8

You will first need to write a complaint to the chemist manager

They will provide you with your options on following the complaint through from them if still unresolved

If they do not

Then your next port of call is:

The Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
SW1P 4QP