Warning Issued to Locum Pharmacist for Methadone Dispensing Error and Drink Driving Conviction

Allegations

This case concerns a locum pharmacist who was subject to a warning from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) following a series of professional and legal lapses. The first allegation relates to the registrant attending shifts at a Boots Pharmacy despite concerns raised by both colleagues and patients. These concerns ultimately resulted in the registrant being asked to leave the premises on more than one occasion.

The second allegation involves a dispensing error that occurred during one of these shifts. The registrant dispensed methadone—a controlled drug used in opioid substitution therapy—incorrectly to a patient. Fortunately, the error was identified by the patient and rectified before any harm occurred. However, this raised serious concerns about the registrant’s fitness to practise safely, particularly given the nature of the medication involved and the inherent risks of dosing errors in methadone dispensing.