The PDA has a longstanding campaign to end violence in pharmacies, including campaigning to stop violent incidents in community pharmacy. This campaign has been supported by police forces, community safety organisations and politicians across the country.
As part of the campaign, we ensured that the Assault on Emergency Workers (offences) Bill, proposed by Chris Bryant MP in 2017, included pharmacists within the scope and this was then carried into law when the bill became an act.
We want to see a world where violence is removed from pharmacies and from the wider high street environment that surrounds community pharmacy. This year, our campaign has secured commitments for zero tolerance of violence from members of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) and Company Chemists Association (CCA), as well as welcoming a similar statement from the GPhC. The PDA zero-tolerance poster has the endorsement of the National Police Chiefs Council and can be downloaded FREE here to be displayed in any community pharmacy.
Helping our colleagues
The PDA is the independent trade union exclusively for pharmacists, however, our members also care about the safety of their other colleagues, many of whom will not be covered by the Assault on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 because, unlike pharmacists, they will not be classified as emergency workers
Just as the PDA work in the interest of pharmacists, other independent trade unions campaign for the workers they represent. The retail workers union, Usdaw, is active in stopping violence against retail workers. The PDA are pleased to offer our support to their campaign and to encourage our members, and community pharmacy employers to promote this petition which calls on the government to enact legislation protecting retail workers from abuse, threats and violence:
The PDA also recommends that every working person join an appropriate trade union. We, therefore, encourage non-pharmacist members of the community pharmacy workforce to read more about joining a union here.