90% of pharmacies have said their workers face abuse.
Picture:
Alamy
By Joe Hawkins & Andy Ballantyne
9 in 10 pharmacies experienced verbal or physical abuse and intimidation from patients who were unknowingly ineligible for the most recent round of NHS Covid vaccinations, costing an estimated £2 million per day.
LBC News has learned that pharmacies wasted an average of two hours a day from managing issues around patients not entitled to jabs.
Pharmacists were spat at, pushed and even punched from across the counter.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, told LBC News, “we’ve had cases where people have punched a pharmacist in the face, which hospitalised them. Things have been thrown at staff and that particular pharmacist has actually, unfortunately, resigned from the profession because of the trauma and not being able to deal with all of this abuse.
Messages reformatted to protect identities – Pharmacists were spat at, pushed and even punched from across the counter.
Picture:
LBC
“And it’s become now a regular thing, which is very, very concerning for things that are outside of our sphere.”
Changes for this round of vaccination, which began in pharmacies in England from 1st October, removed some patients who had been eligible in previous years. This included excluding patients between the ages of 65-75.
However, the national system allowed these patients to book appointments anyway, causing large numbers to arrive at pharmacies across England who were not eligible for NHS vaccination.
Ashley Cohen, a pharmacist and board member of the National Pharmacy Association, told LBC News, “we’re talking about systemic failure of a booking system… Patients would turn up expecting to get their appointments and then be disappointed, angry, and then almost blame us as the pharmacists as to say why they couldn’t vaccinate.”
A WhatsApp forum for pharmacy owners across the country has been used to detail concerns.
Messages reformatted to protect identities – A WhatsApp forum for pharmacy owners across the country has been used to detail concerns.
Picture:
LBC
Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said, “this was a problem of the NHS’s own making that should have been avoided.
“Our data shows this has come at a significant personal and financial cost to community pharmacies across the country.
“Although some of the cost to pharmacies can be quantified, such as staff time wasted or the cost of vaccination supply, other consequences such as the loss of reputation and the impact of abuse cannot be.
Changes in social behaviour following the pandemic and consequent lockdowns have been suggested as an explanation for the increase in abuse and violence demonstrated by patients.
Dr Hannbeck said, “One theory is that a lot of people are not so much used to interactions face to face. People don’t remember the sort of respect that they should be having, you know, dealing with healthcare professionals… It’s to do with such a busy environment in community pharmacies as well, because, obviously, we’ve had to look at the staffing levels …but it shouldn’t be pharmacists that need to bear the brunt for this.”
An NHS spokesperson told LBC News, “abuse against healthcare staff is never acceptable and colleagues deserve to be treated with respect. Eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine changed last year following updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation – and we updated information on the NHS website to make people aware of the changes as well as contacting key groups affected.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said, “Abuse of staff in any setting is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Pharmacy providers have policies in place to protect individuals and should ensure any inappropriate incidents are reported where necessary.
“The government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination. In line with independent JCVI advice, the autumn 2025 programme was focused on the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.
“These are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease.”