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Letters to the Editor
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Violence in pharmacies
Survey about concerns
From Mr J. A. Murphy, MRPharmS
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) welcomes Mr
Wilkie’s
comments regarding violence in pharmacy (PJ, 24 July, p113). Although
legal redress can be applied to offenders, it is primarily the responsibility
of employers to ensure the safety of all their staff. A recent initiative
undertaken in Northern Ireland, whereby employers and owners of community
pharmacies significantly increased their investment in security measures,
resulted in the reduction of the incidence of violence to practically
zero.
In a recent landmark case, (Simmons vs British Steel Plc House of Lords
29 April), an employer who refused to act on the concerns of an employee
regarding safety issues, resulting in the employee sustaining an injury
and psychological trauma, was ordered to pay nearly £500,000 in
compensation.
Although most employers will take the concerns of their staff in relation
to violence and safety in the workplace seriously, in light of the recent
landmark case the consequences of not doing so could prove to be severe.
The PDA has received anecdotal reports from some pharmacists that neither
their employers nor the authorities are taking their concerns in relation
to violence in the pharmacy seriously; consequently appropriate security
measures are not being implemented.
The PDA, in trying to assess the scale of the problem, is in the process
of conducting a survey of pharmacists. It is our intention to use the
results of the questionnaire to lobby the relevant authorities to help
develop a programme to improve the safety of staff in pharmacies.
Through your columns, may I urge employee and locum members to contribute
to this questionnaire, which can be found on our website www.the-pda.org?
John Murphy
General Manager
Pharmacists’ Defence Association
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal