Keeping patients safe is key to the role of every pharmacist. But less than safe working conditions risk harm to patients as well as damaging consequences for pharmacists – such as impacting on their physical or mental health.
PDA members have produced a charter of seven commitments to improve safety and care for patients,
through better working conditions in UK pharmacy practice. This charter defines basic standards to ensure safe practice wherever pharmacists work.
The commitments in the charter should be standard practice whenever and wherever pharmacy work is carried out. We actively encourage other interested parties to endorse the charter and those who own or manage pharmacies to adopt the charter and ensure the commitments are fulfilled in their pharmacies.
Download the charter here

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Fri 15th January 2021
The PDA
Safe levels of pharmacist workload must be a key consideration in the vaccination roll out plans for community pharmacy.
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Mon 27th July 2020
The PDA
In our fifth annual patient safety survey, we invite pharmacists to share their experience of safety in the workplace. This survey is open to employed and locum pharmacists wherever they work.
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Thu 2nd July 2020
The PDA
The PDA respond after the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) issued a joint letter with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding the alleged actions of some pharmacies during the coronavirus period.
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Tue 28th April 2020
The PDA
At the start of a day of memorial, the PDA has laid a wreath on behalf of all our members in tribute to the pharmacists and other key workers that have been killed by the COVID virus. The whole pharmacy sector is also invited to join a one minute silence at 11:00am today.
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Thu 5th March 2020
The PDA
The PDA’s experiences of defending pharmacists in critical situations shows that concerns over safer working environments are a regular feature of practice for hospital pharmacists.
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Wed 19th February 2020
The PDA
The PDA is inviting pharmacy owners across the UK to join them in their campaign for safer pharmacies. The campaign was designed to focus on the important work of community pharmacists in keeping patients safe.
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Mon 27th January 2020
The PDA
The PDA has released the headline results of their annual safer pharmacies survey, in which pharmacists disclose how often the basic safety commitments detailed in the Safer Pharmacies Charter have been met in their direct experience of practice. Top level results show a small improvement in 2019 compared to the previous year, but a long way still to go.
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Thu 16th January 2020
The PDA
The PDA is praising the action of police in Wales who are visiting pharmacies to discuss safety and support the association’s campaign to end violence in pharmacies and keep pharmacists safe from harm in their workplaces.
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Wed 3rd July 2019
The PDA
In our fourth annual patient safety survey, we invite pharmacists to share their experience of safety in the workplace. This survey is open to employees and locums in community and hospital pharmacies.
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Sat 30th March 2019
The PDA
The PDA has published the results of three patient safety surveys undertaken over the last three years, including the latest results which directly compare the experience of pharmacists to the basic standards detailed in the Safer Pharmacies Charter.
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