Pharmacist struck off for supplying himself drugs
A FORMER Bedlington pharmacist who supplied himself with penicillin, anti-depressants and anti-smoking items has been struck off by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Christopher Dotchin also "failed to respect confidentiality" by returning the methadone drugs register to his work in a carrier bag with a "young lad".
The 29-year-old claimed he had taken home the register containing patients' names, addresses and details of the drugs supplied to them, to catch up on entries.
However, staff at the Moss Pharmacy in Bedlington's Front Street West contacted him when he failed to turn up for work the next day and he was told to return the book "as a matter of urgency", a hearing in London heard.
He was also accused of storing drugs in an area which did not comply with safety custody regulations; to have recruited an assistant who was not pharmaceutical trained and to have been reprimanded by the RPS in April 2003 for the theft of diahydrocodeine tablets.
At one stage he received a police caution after the disappearance of 1,208 tablets.
Striking him off, panel chairman Judge Mota Singh QC said: "We have come to the view there are some aggravating features – the previous matter, disregard of previous warnings, abuse of trust and breach of confidentiality."
Dotchin, of Silver Lonnen, Newcastle, was said to have had "almost a fixation about patient returns".
The allegations related to his work with two firms, Moss Pharmacy and Lloyds at various premises in Bedlington, Peterlee and Concord, Tyne and Wear.
The RPS panel was told his problems began when his partner was admitted to hospital with a life threatening condition which left him in a "persistent vegetative state".
Initially, he worked as a relief pharmacist for Moss before progressing to manager in 2003.
However, he had later asked to be relieved of managerial duties but continued to work for them as a relief manager until he was "summarily dismissed" in September 2004.
Dotchin, who did not attend the hearing, went on to work for Lloyds where he recruited Chad Hunter, who had no pharmaceutical training.
Geoff Hudson, for the society, told the hearing that staff in Bedlington became worried when they realised Dotchin had the methadone register with him.
"One of the pharmacy technicians got hold of him and told him he must arrange for the register to be returned as a matter of urgency," said Mr Hudson.
"Dotchin arranged for someone whose identity is unknown but has been described by staff as a young lad, to return the register.
"It was handed over in a carrier bag."
At The Chare, Peterlee, he supplied himself with Flucloxacillin penicillin capsules without a prescription, and while at the pharmacy premises in the William Brown Medical Centre, Peterlee, he took anti-depressant Venlafaxine capsules.
Mr Hudson said Dotchin's case was referred after he was arrested in West Monkseaton over missing pethedine and diamoprhine.
The police decided not to prosecute.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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