Fuming at Pharmacist

[Havannah80]

My DD is on medicated milk (on perscription) because she has stomach problems.

And I have just found out that a girl who works at the pharmacy I get it from has told her partner who works with DD father that I get this milk on prescription for DD and that I must be on benefits if I'm getting free milk (clearly looking down at me) it's now gone round my DD fathers work and got back to him which is how I know it's been said!

Now my problem isn't really if she thinks I'm on benefits or not. It's more that I feel there's a breach of confidentiality here?! I don't need people knowing the ins and outs of my life such as what medicine my DD is prescribed!!

AIBU if I ring up the chemist she works at and complain?!

Early 20s if people would prefer I call her a woman then that's fine didn't realise it would cause offence?

I'm getting muddled with the name change or different account OP

She would be at least 22 so not my definition of "very young".

I find it hard to believe that a pre-reg would do this. IG has been drilled in to them for at least 4 and half years and everyone is talking about GDPR at the moment. Are you sure she is the source of the gossip?

Originally when you said this I thought you were talking about a 16 year old who hadn't been trained properly, not a 22 year old with a pharmacy degree who is privy to far more interesting information than your child's milk prescription. I don't believe she would be interested and I don't believe she would risk her job and perhaps career to pass on information about something so boring.

I'm getting muddled with the name change or different account OP

I've just noticed that too.....

. Sackable in my nhs job and with good reason. Complain!!

I was wondering why anyone would think this is interesting too!

Same. I think you should complain if you're sure she gossiped about you. But I am perplexed that anyone could possibly find this interesting enough to gossip about. Are you 100% sure it was her?

She needs to have a formal warning, if not instant dismissal

I'm wondering how you would get evidence that this "girl" had talked.

Let it go. There are far more important things to worry about in life. So people have been gossiping. And? Do you like or respect these people? If not, why do you care what they think?

I understand the patient confidentiality issue but if you don't have evidence it won't go anywhere anyway.

completeaisling

It is woman not girl. It's called a dictionary, try one sometime

I presume you find the Oxford dictionary a suitable choice...

Definition of girl - a female child, a young or relatively young woman

But that was not my point, as you well know. If you want to call someone a woman, knock your socks off, if others of us want to call her a girl that’s our choice. None of your business.

I think your information has come from elsewhere not the pharmacist (trainee, pre reg, whatever). She will (a) know all about confidentiality (b) know it's prescription meds for a child so free.

Also why would this be 'interesting' gossip to spread around an office? No one would care!

People on benefits don't even get prescription milk do they unless it's a medical reason obviously. I thought it was a vouchers towards milk.

That aside you don't seem to know for certain it was the woman in the pharmacy who started this frankly ridiculous chain of gossip. So I think you would be unfair to report her.
It's not really any skin off your nose as nothing has been revealed about you other that you get formula from chemist.

I thought children's prescriptions were free,regardless of whether their parents claim benefits or not.

Is she actually a shop assistant who hand prescriptions to the pharmacist? You can't train to be a pharmacist by workng on the till in a chemist shop.

22 counts as very young to me, but I’m getting old and would love to be referred to as a girl

However a pharmacy assistant would know children's prescriptions are all free and not link it with benefits so could it be anyone else?

Isn't the point that this is a prescription for milk, which is not free for children or anyone else?

OP, I notice that you say "DDs father" rather than your DP so is he an ex? If the latter, I would suspect he is either stirring or just fishing to know more about your financial situation.

You said you have just been told the girl at the Pharmacy told whoever, whatever. This is hearsay. Won't stand up in court

It doesn't have to stand up in court, does it?

And the hearsay rule only operates in terms of the truth of what was said - not in terms of the fact that they said it. The reason hearsay is not admissible in court is that the evidence can't be tested through cross-examination. However, if the important issue is whether the individual said whatever it was, that is direct evidence, not hearsay. In this case, if the pharmacy employee's partner says that he was told this confidential information by said employee, that is direct evidence that she broke confidentiality.

The Data Protection legislation goes by best practice. You'd think people who understand the legislation would know that.

Gossiping is not best practice.

A few years ago my dsis went to our local pharmacy to get the morning after pill following a fling. Within six hours the girlfriend of the bloke she had slept with knew she had been for the morning after pill because the pharmacist's assistant told her. The assistant was dismissed as a result of dsis's complaint. Put it in writing.