The PDA has been campaigning for zero tolerance of violence towards pharmacy staff for many years and with the extra profile generated by a significantly increased number of incidents recently, we called again on the largest pharmacy employers to sign up to that position.
Initially, the Company Chemists Association (CCA), who represent Asda, Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy, Morrisons, Rowlands, Superdrug, Tesco, and Well answered the specific call from the PDA to adopt zero tolerance via the Pharmaceutical Journal. A CCA spokesperson was reported as saying “We believe that pharmacy owners and the employers of pharmacists should have the freedom to choose how they will deliver a safe and secure working environment for their people”.
However, as politicians, other pharmacy groups, police forces and the national media raised the profile of the PDA campaign and with the public increasingly expressing concern about violence directed towards pharmacists and their teams, the CCA published a new statement late on Friday 17 April. In that statement, the CCA confirmed that all eight of their members now support zero tolerance of violence.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) define violence as “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work” and the PDA commend the members of the CCA for publicly committing to zero tolerance of such behaviour.
This is a very welcome development and we applaud these employers for adopting this position. The PDA and pharmacy staff now look forward to a working environment where a genuine zero tolerance policy is in place, promoted and enforced.
Large employers may wish to echo the efforts of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and issue zero tolerance signs for every pharmacy but in their corporate branding. In the meantime, with levels of abuse at record levels, the PDA posters can be downloaded for display in branches.
DOWNLOAD THE PDA POSTER HERE TO DISPLAY IN YOUR PHARMACY:
