A pharmacist at Milton’s Chemists has been suspended for three months for stealing various prescription-only medicines from her workplace located at Stoke on Trent.
The Fitness to Practise Committee found that the pharmacist, Julie Wassall, had on numerous occasions removed medication containing codeine for own use or benefit from the pharmacy.
The committee also found that she had also repeatedly withdrawn Omeprazole and Naramig 2.5mg tablets, used to treat acidity and migraine respectively.
All of these allegations were proven during the hearings.
Wassall was already undergoing an interim suspension that was due to expire on 3 August 2026.
The case presenter, Ayshe Sevdan, opposed the application for the hearing to be heard entirely in private, and reminded the committee that this was not a health case, but a case involving dishonesty, and there was a public interest in hearing the non-health related parts of the hearing in public.
The Committee decided to hold certain parts of the hearing in private as there will be reference to the health of the Registrant, but the rest should be heard in public.
Michael Smalley of VHS Fletchers, submitted on behalf of the registrant that Wassall had demonstrated insight and remediation, and was no longer impaired.
He asked the Committee to consider that the public interest had been met by the period of interim suspension served. The Committee also heard oral evidence from the Registrant.
The Committee found that the Registrant did not provide anything in relation to ‘concrete steps she has taken to address her behaviour’ and her conduct had ‘fallen below the relevant standards’ and ‘breached professional boundaries by acting dishonestly’. It concluded that the Registrant’s fitness to practise was also impaired on public interest grounds.
After examining various aspects, the committee observed that there remained "outstanding areas of insight, particularly in relation to dishonesty in the workplace and its widerimplications, and that remediation of the concerns was not complete."
The Committee concluded that there remained a risk of repetition.
"Ms Wassall took medication that included high doses of codeine which could have affected her performance whilst at work. The Committee does find therefore, that thispresents an actual/potential risk to patients."
The committee decided that suspension for three months followed by a review.
"The Committee therefore directs that an extension to the original suspension for a period of three months be imposed, to start from the time when the original suspension would otherwise end."
