I would sit down with the unions and discuss this with them. They probably
have their own concerns. It may be that by offering some kind of health
promotion activity eg mini health checks (BP, lung function/audio) in return
for the disbanding of the medicine machine that they will be happy.
You should probably ring EMAS to check about whether this system constitutes
the delivery of medication in first aid - it probably isn't, but I would get
advice, especially as an employee appears to have done exactly what you are
trying to avoid.
Lucy
----- Original Message -----
From: Harrop, Chris <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 20 November 2003 03:44
Subject: Pill Dispensers.
> Hi
>
> Can anybody help?
>
> (Bear with me, this sounds complicated!) We have always offered a
> treatment service to our employees and issued OTC medication if required.
> When we lost the night nurse cover we then had a dispensing machine for
> Paracetamol, indigestion tablets and throat lozenges. This dates back to
> 1990 and a cigarette machine was modified to dispense all the medication,
> whereas dedicated machines supplied only one type of pill. This was free
to
> employees and accessed by a token system. The sick employee approached
the
> security officers (who held the tokens), was issued with a token and then
> signed a register to say what medication had been taken. The employee
> self-prescribed - security just issued a token. In actual fact this
> facility is rarely used - 9 or 10 times in a rolling 12 month period by
> approximately 120 employees.
>
> We have a new security manager who will no longer allow his men to hold
the
> tokens "because it is illegal". I assume he means that First Aiders cannot
> dispense medication, although he is aware that they are not doing the
actual
> prescribing, just holding the tokens. He is unable to produce any evidence
> to substantiate this although I am sure he may well be correct. This is
> something I inherited when I took over the department and I must confess
to
> not giving it a second thought since it just seemed to run itself. I have
> thought of providing a Paracetamol dispenser but the unions will kick up
if
> their shift people have to pay for their own medication - we're talking 40
> pence here you know!! I am also not overly keen that people will be able
to
> obtain fairly unlimited supplies. (Some weeks ago an employee took an
> overdose of his own Paracetamol and it was quite a nightmare trying to
find
> him on a large site!)
>
> So after all that, I guess I need the answer to two questions :a) the
legal
> question
>
> b) how the rest of you deal with pill dispensers
>
> Sorry to be so long-winded.
>
> Regards
>
> Chris
>
> Christine Harrop
> Occupational Health Manager
> Telephone 01295 223311 Page no 157
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
>
> Occupational Health Department
> Kraft Foods (UK) Ltd
> Ruscote Avenue
> Banbury
> Oxon
> OX16 2QU
>
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