07 March 2024 , 11:21
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Pharmacy staff have revealed their horror experiences of facing verbal and physical abuse from impatient customers. They also described the terrifying moments thugs invaded pharmacies any ransacked stores, even threatening staff at knifepoint.
The rising cost of living, as well as persistent drug shortages, were blamed for customers' growing impatience, which ultimately led to rising abuse, it's been claimed.
The barrage of abuse has become so commonplace that most pharmacists just see it as a precursor to everyday life, according to The Pharmacists' Defence Association.
The union's director of policy, Alison Jones, said: "Frustration around the time it takes to dispense prescriptions, support staff's been cut massively, and there's some NHS data to say support staff has been reduced by 14%. At the same time, people are being driven to pharmacies more - so the service they receive isn't always as quick as they might like.
"Pharmacists have a clinical responsibility to make sure the medication is safe for the patient, and that takes time. It's not a usual item of commerce unfortunately, where you walk in and you're immediately handed over what you've asked for.
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"The saddest state of affairs is that quite often pharmacists see this as part and parcel of the job, because it's so frequent."
A Halifax pharmacy was subjected to a knife-point burglary (Amanda Smith)'He had an eight-inch knife'
Amanda Smith, 49, revealed her Halifax pharmacy has been subjected to a knife-point burglary, as well as a horrific petrol bomb attack. Back in 2018, a man was seen stalking the pharmacy by local CCTV, before storming into the shop and heading directly for the medication store. He wanted the contents of the controlled drugs cabinet, as well as all of the cash inside the till, before making a swift escape.
Two staff members managed to escape and call for help during the burglary (Amanda Smith)"We have CCTV, and you can see him come into the shop," said Amanda. "Some staff members managed to get out and went into the shop next door to ask for help, and then there were just two of us left inside. "He had about an eight-inch kitchen knife, so we weren't going to argue. We gave him what he asked for, except we have two controlled drugs cabinet and we only showed him the small one."
The suspect was later caught by police, and was handed a prison sentence for the burglary. "We also got petrol bombed at the beginning of 2020," said Amanda. "That was during the night though."
Two thugs set a petrol bomb alight outside the Halifax pharmacyCCTV footage showed the terrifying moment two thugs smashed a window in the front door of the pharmacy, and then set the store alight. They were then seen running away from the crime scene. They were never caught.
The pharmacy was set ablaze after they launched the bomb through the front window"We have no idea who did it, or why. They just pulled up in the middle of the night, smashed the window in the front door, and threw a couple of bottles with petrol in.
Despite the attack, pharmacists worked extra hard to make sure the store was open for customers (Amanda Smith)
The inside of the store was covered in soot after the attack (Amanda Smith)"We were lucky there wasn't much damage and we still managed to open. It was just left everything covered in soot."
'They attacked me and ransacked the place'
Mike Hewitson, 43, was threatened with a knife during a terrifying burglary in 2016. Three masked men barged into his pharmacy in West Dorset, spread out, and immediately began stuffing drugs into their bags.
He said: "They came to the pharmacy and literally ransacked the place. The CCTV shows these guys coming into the pharmacy and just clearing the shelves. "They attacked me, and they attacked one of my colleagues. One of them threatened to stab me. He went to his pocket to get a knife - he didn't have one thankfully."
Amanda Smith was inside the pharmacy at the time of the burglaryTwo brave customers tried to block the shop door, to stop their escape, while staff did their best to intervene. One of the thieves could be seen pushing a pharmacist backwards while they tried to escape, before another thug strode behind the counter and started filling his bag with products behind the till.
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Mike was personally attacked by one of the burglars, who reportedly said: 'I have hepatitis, and I'm going to stab you'. The thieves were eventually caught by police, and locked up for about six months.
"Fortunately nobody was hurt," Mike added. "It definitely does make you think twice when that's happened. When you've been threatened, it does make you think about safety - not just for me, but for my whole team."
'He threw a chair at staff behind the counter'
PDA's Alison Jones revealed one of their members was subjected to a horrific barrage of abuse by an angry customer, who ended up throwing a chair at staff.
Shocking CCTV shows the customer entering the pharmacy and exchanging a heated conversation with staff behind the counter.
They became increasingly frustrated, before launching a fist at the counter screen and knocking some of the products onto the floor. While pharmacists appearred shocked in the background, the customer turned around, picked up a chair, and threw it directly toward staff at the back of the store.
A customer was seen launching abuse at pharmacy staff (The Pharmacists' Defence Association)He remained in the store, continuing to launch abuse at innocent pharmacists.
PDA said at the time: "While this is an extreme case, unfortunately, attacks in the workplace are not rare occurrences. Worryingly, some pharmacists and their teams are still subjected to violence and abuse as part of their day-to-day experience at work while delivering NHS care."
The union's director of policy claimed some people simply don't have the patience to wait for pharmacists to check whether medication is safe and appropriate before it's issued.
She said that pharmacists are an "easy target" for the public's frustration, despite support staff being massively cut over the past few years.
It was also claimed that the rising cost of living played a key role in the abuse pharmacists regularly face. Medication is becoming more expensive, and households have significantly less disposable income owing to rising energy bills and mortgage rates.
The customer launched a chair at staff working behind the counter (The Pharmacists' Defence Association)TV pharmacist and health expert Thorrun Govind said: "The rise in abuse in healthcare settings, such as pharmacies, is a sign of the pressures the public are facing, both with the cost of living, but also with respect to access to healthcare.
However, there is also the additional aspect in that patient expectations of a faster service are increasing, given online options available. But ultimately, in a healthcare environment we have to focus on safety over quickness - which is a different scenario compared with other parts of the highstreet, perhaps."
'We've had to install panic buttons'
It's also legally challenging for a pharmacist to refuse service to a customer, unlike other sections of healthcare. The only way a prescription could be refused is if the customer breaks the law, according to Mike.
Abusive customers would therefore have to go to the absolute extremes before being told to leave the premises, whereas GP surgeries frequently have 'zero tolerance to abuse' posters inside surgeries.
Mike said: "We don't have the same umbrella of protection as GP surgeries have, so A) it happens more frequently, and B) we're feeling more isolated and exposed.
"I've got colleagues in other pharmacies and it frequently happens elsewhere - people ranting and raving, and threatening staff - and that's really not on, from our point of view."
After the horrific burglary at Mike's pharmacy, he had to install new security measures in the hope it never happens again. "We've had to invest in things like panic buttons, we've had to invest in addition security, and that's not cheap at a time when funding is truly restricted."
The union has been campaigning to get 'zero tolerance to abuse' posters put up in all pharmacies across the country, it said. But, the abuse epidemic has become so widespread that more drastic measures might need to be taken.
Alison added: "We've had a poster campaign which is a zero tolerance of violence and abuse in pharmacies, which we've asked to be put up in every pharmacy. It's a reminder - and a deterrent - that people are actually in a healthcare environment, and that's not how you behave.
"But unfortunately I just think it's very widespread now, and people just take frustration out on the last resort. It's a problem and it's something our members regularly report to us."