Key Summary
- The survey said 82 per cent pharmacies have seen instances of racist abuse directed towards staff in the last year.
- While 35 per cent of pharmacies had been abused most days, around 40 per cent of pharmacies also said they had experienced physical abuse.
- According to the General Pharmaceutical Council, over 60 per cent pharmacy workers hail from non-white British backgrounds.
A new survey by ITV News and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found that 82 per cent pharmacies have seen instances of racist abuse directed towards staff in the last year.
While 35 per cent of pharmacies had been abused most days, around 40 per cent of pharmacies also said they had experienced physical abuse.
The NPA has warned that staff may leave the profession unless more is done by the NHS and the police to tackle an endemic level of abuse and threats aimed at pharmacy teams.
The association, which represents around 6000 independent community pharmacies, also highlighted a ‘disturbing change in attitudes’ from a minority of patients which has resulted in abuse being directed towards pharmacy staff.
According to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the pharmacy workforce is significantly more diverse than wider society, with over 60 per cent hailing from non-white British backgrounds.
Pharmacies are calling for greater protection for pharmacy staff, including the same level of support offered to other parts of the health system by the NHS.
Though general practitioners receive NHS funding to improve security on their premises, community pharmacies get no such support.
The National Pharmacy Association Chair Olivier Picard said: “The results of this survey are truly disturbing and paint a picture of a rising tide of abuse and even violent behaviour towards hard working pharmacy staff, who are simply trying their best to support their patients.
“I am particularly disgusted to hear of increasing levels of racist abuse being directed towards pharmacy teams, which we must all work to stamp out.
“Although this represents a very small minority of the 1.6 million people who visit a pharmacy every day in England, increasing levels abuse risks staff leaving pharmacy all together, something we can ill afford.
“The NHS and Department of Health have always rightly said that we should have a zero tolerance approach towards abuse of NHS staff.
“But we now need this rhetoric to match actions. GP colleagues have been afforded funding to make security changes but this has never been offered to community pharmacies, despite 90 per cent of our work being carried out for the NHS.
“This must change so pharmacies can make the security changes they need to help protect their staff from this worrying uptick in abusive behaviour from patients.
“Anyone visiting a community pharmacy should always treat teams serving them with patience and tolerance.”
