Pharmacist banned from practising in N.L. for 5 years for ethics violations, falsifying records

Newfoundland and Labrador's Pharmacy Board has banned a St. John's pharmacist from practising in the province for five years for professional misconduct and ethics violations involving two patients from 2007 to 2019.

The ban follows the board's investigation of Susan Gillingham, the pharmacist-in-charge at the Shoppers Drug Mart on LeMarchantRoad over an allegation filed in January 2020.

In a June 23 decisionreleased on the board's website, according to an agreed statement of facts jointly submitted by Gillingham and the board, Gillingham had a "personal relationship" with a patient of the pharmacy between 2007 and 2019, while she was involved in his care. Gillinghamprovided the patient methadone but didn't properly document the provision of dosesand in some cases didn't witness the patient taking the methadone, as required by board standards for opioid treatment.

Several times, according to the statement, Gillinghamleft the patient's methadone on his doorstep or with a family member, or in a lockbox for him to retrieve.

The statement of facts also says Gillingham had a personal relationship with a second patient of the pharmacy in 2019 while she was involved in his care.

Pharmacist falsified records

On Jan. 14, the pharmacists' board registrar filed a complaint against Gillingham over the personal relationships. Gillingham then falsified administration logs for the first patient and had him sign them, then provided copies of the falsified logs to the board.

The board then received information that Gillingham and the patient had falsified the logs. Gillinghamthen supplied the original hard copies of the falsified logs, passing them off as authentic documentation, leading to a second complaint filed against her by the registrar in November 2021.

Gillingham pleaded guilty to both complaints. In lieu of a suspension since Gillinghamis not currently registered to practise pharmacy in the province the board has banned her from applying for reregistration for five years from the date of the decision.

Before being registered, she must complete at her own expense an ethics course approved by the board, and she won't be allowed to act as pharmacist-in-charge for at least three years if she is reregistered. She has also been ordered to pay $4,900 toward the cost of the investigation within three years.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador