A pharmacist from the Wirral has been suspended for 12 months after the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) found two allegations of misconduct proven, including illegally disposing of pharmacy waste in a nearby park.
Following a remote hearing held between 24 June and 2 July, the GPhC's Fitness to Practise Committee concluded that Jitendra Desai, responsible pharmacist at Oakley Pharmacy had on 12 December 2024 disposed of an unknown quantity of medication in or around Beacon Park in Heswall, Wirral.
The Committee also found that he had dumped confidential pharmacy waste, as detailed in Schedule A of the allegations, at the same location.
A second allegation, that Desai attended work while intoxicated on 27 September, was also found proven. Witnesses reported that he was unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech.
A third allegation - that he failed to maintain an up-to-date responsible pharmacist record between January and October 2023 - was not proven.
Desai did not attend the hearing and was not represented.
After considering the circumstances, the Committee decided it was appropriate to proceed in Desai's absence.
Intoxication at work?
The allegation that Desai attended work while intoxicated arose after concerns were raised by staff at a GP practice that shares the same premises as the pharmacy.
Two members of the practice - identified as Dr M, a GP partner, and Ms K, the practice manager - spoke to Desai about his condition.
Although Desai denied drinking alcohol, he declined to take a breathalyser test that was available at the surgery.
Pharmacy waste dumped in park
The Committee also heard evidence that on 12 December 2024, a GPhC inspector was alerted by a Wirral Council park ranger to dumped pharmacy waste that had been recovered from a park in Heswall and moved to a secure location.
The inspector examined the waste and found medicines including zolpidem and lorazepam, both Schedule 4 Part 1 controlled drugs.
The discarded material also contained documents linking the waste to Oakley Pharmacy.
A file note recorded that Committee Secretary Raimundova spoke with Desai by telephone on 24 June 2026, and read the allegations to him.
According to the note, she asked whether he wished to respond to the allegations or attend the hearing.
"I asked [the Registrant] whether he would wish to send any response to the allegations, or attend to address the Committee directly. He said, 'No, because they are correct.' I asked whether that meant he admitted the allegations, and he said yes."
The inspector told the Committee that he subsequently took the recovered medicines to a nearby pharmacy for safe disposal and submitted the relevant documentation.
After considering all of the evidence, the Committee concluded that the allegation relating to the disposal of pharmacy waste was proved in its entirety.
