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A TYRONE pharmacist cautioned by police for repeated record-keeping failures has blamed ‘work overload’ during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Denver Jason Devlin, aged 50, who is the director of a pharmacy in Donaghmore, received police cautions for nine offences regarding record keeping.
The cautions were revealed during a Pharmaceutical Society of NI fitness to practice committee.
The committee stated that at the relevant time, Mr Devlin was director and the lead pharmacist of Torrent Pharma Ltd on Main Street, Donaghmore.
On September 1, 2023, the Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG) carried out an unannounced inspection.
The MRG initially found the businesses prescription book had not been maintained since January 2020 and at least 86 entries, including entries for schedule 3 controlled drugs (which includes medicine like prescription pregabalin), had not been made.
The investigation found Mr Devlin did not properly maintain pharmacy drug registers, as legally required, over a period of three years with respect to the purchase, sale and supply of a substantial number of controlled drugs.
The committee findings stated, “(Mr Devlin) co-operated with the MRG during the interview process and made admissions to a number of legal and professional failings that were put to him by the interviewers.”
“There was a routine and persistent failure to maintain core records over an extended period of time… he failed to establish safe and effective systems within the pharmacy and failed to undertake legal and professional requirements.”
However, in mitigating factors the committee noted Mr Devlin’s ‘unblemished’ 20 years of working in the pharmacy.
It said,“(Mr Devlin) said he was burnt out and suffered from significant work overload from Covid times.
“He could not get staff to assist him in his pharmacy partly because of the impact of Covid and because of the remote country location of his pharmacy.
“He struggled to keep proper records and meet deadlines as he was required to do legally and under the code.”
Following the findings, the committee debated suspending the pharmacy but decided it would not in fears of impact on the local community, noting that it was the only pharmacy in the area.
However, Mr Devlin has since engaged two locum pharmacists each working one day a week and his business provided pharmacy services six days a week.
The committee decided to impose five conditions for improvement, to include a ‘detailed written reflective piece’ from Mr Devlin, a review of the key responsibilities of the Superintendent Pharmacist role, work with a mentor to be approved by the Pharmaceutical Society and identify suitable training for his role.
