Security and personal safety
Published on: 18th October 2022 | Updated on: 4th November 2025
Pharmacy owners and their teams do, unfortunately, experience circumstances where members of the public are abusive to them or there are security incidents at the pharmacy.
We know the damaging impact that violence, abuse, and harassment can have on people’s health and wellbeing, affecting both mental and physical health.
Community Pharmacy England and the other national pharmacy bodies have had discussions with senior police representatives regarding the safety of community pharmacy teams and premises.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has issued the following guidance for community pharmacy teams, which was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but which is still valid:
Security advice for pharmacies during the pandemic (summary)
Security advice for pharmacies during the pandemic
Key contacts for police services
LPCs may also be able to raise any security concerns with local police forces and the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Community Pharmacy England staff respect posters
We have produced two posters that pharmacy owners can choose to display to highlight the importance to patients and customers of treating pharmacy team members with kindness and respect.
One of the posters includes the wording which was previously included in many pharmacy practice leaflets, regarding the rights of pharmacy owners to refuse to provide services to individuals or those accompanying those individuals who are violent, threaten violence, commit or threaten to commit a criminal offence.
Staff respect poster 1 (Microsoft Word)
Staff respect poster 2 (Microsoft Word)
NHS England primary care staff respect materials (October 2022)
NHS England has published a suite of downloadable materials for use by primary care staff to encourage patients to treat NHS staff with respect.
They feature NHS staff working in a range of different NHS settings, including pharmacy, carrying the message ‘We are here to help you. Thank you for treating us with respect’.
The materials include posters featuring groups of NHS staff and individuals, social media graphics and digital screen graphics for waiting areas.
A poster template is also available which allows community pharmacy teams to feature photographs of their own staff with the same messages.
Download the NHS Primary Care Staff Respect Materials
Taking care of your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of your colleagues
Abuse and violence can be very distressing for pharmacy owners and team members.
Seek support from your employer (where appropriate) or visit NHS websites to find out about what support is available to help you protect your health and wellbeing.
NHS England health and wellbeing support for pharmacy teams
For more information on this topic please email regulations.team@cpe.org.uk
