Security and personal safety
Published on: 18th October 2022 | Updated on: 18th December 2025
Pharmacy owners and their teams work hard to support local communities every day, but more than half of pharmacy staff reported that abuse from patients is a serious concern in the 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey.
We know the damaging impact that violence, abuse, and harassment can have on people’s health and wellbeing, affecting both mental and physical health.
If you face any type of abuse from patients, please don’t feel like you have to tolerate it. The following actions can be considered:
- Call the police: Please report instances to the police who can provide appropriate support and take action where appropriate.
- Refuse to dispense the prescription: The pharmacy regulations permit this if a pharmacy owner or their staff (or other people at the premises) are threatened with or subject to violence or other criminal behaviour.
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.
The General Pharmaceutical Council has also issued a statement on violent disorder and its impact on pharmacy services, which reminds employers of their duty of care to keep their staff safe at work and to consider steps to reduce the risk to their staff experiencing any abuse.
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
