THE NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has ordered that a pharmacist be subject to supervision with restricted dispensing of Schedule 8 and 4D drugs, in a ruling handed down earlier this month relating to a case prosecuted by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
It was alleged that the registered pharmacist, who graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2005, failed to report the loss of S8 drugs to the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit between Nov 2014 and Jan 2019, while working at Lisarow Chemist Outlet on the NSW Central Coast.
The pharmacist was also accused of failing to conduct compulsory inventory checks for methadone on three occasions, as well as having "dispensed diazepam on multiple occasions to a person with whom she had a personal connection, in circumstances where she knew that person was a participant in an opioid program," the HCCC said.
Multiple entries made by the pharmacist in the drug register were alleged to be illegible, incorrect, incomplete or misleading, with the pharmacist also accused of making a number of adjustments to the register without recording sufficient explanation.
She was also alleged to have had printed pharmacy address labels, patient prescriptions and drug printouts at her home.
Testimony during the hearing noted the pharmacist had suffered a mini stroke in 2015, with the Tribunal accepting that she continues to suffer from the continuing effects of the episode.
However some of the allegations relate to conduct both before and after the stroke.
The Tribunal's decision found the allegations proven, ruling that the pharmacist was guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct.
She's required to practise with supervision for a period of 12 months, complete no less than 152 hours of supervised practice, and successfully complete an oral examination on pharmacy law and ethics within the next year.
The Pharmacy Council of NSW must be advised within seven days of any change of employment, and the pharmacist was also ordered to pay the HCCC's costs.
The Tribunal also ordered that the names and addresses of the witnesses listed in the complaint to the HCCC not be disclosed.
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