My name is Mike Hewitson, I am a community pharmacist and I am calling on the Government to stop the violence and abuse faced by local pharmacies. I have been threatened with stabbing and robbed in my pharmacy. The rate of physical and verbal abuse faced by pharmacists is increasing – so I have started this petition calling on the Government to act.

My biggest fear is that until a pharmacist is found lying in a pool of blood, no one will take this abuse seriously. While most patients treat us well, a minority do not. In my patch, as the pressure on the NHS has grown, so has the abuse and violence we face. A recent report found 85 per cent of pharmacists say they, or someone they work with, have experienced verbal or racial abuse while at work. No healthcare professional should be subjected to this.

Local pharmacies pride ourselves on being the frontdoor to the NHS. Many people are surprised to learn that every year local pharmacies save 32.2 million GP appointments. We delivered over 24 million covid vaccines and continue to provide countless hours of free face-to-face care to some of the most vulnerable patients. Every day my team help hundreds of people. We were a lifeline to our communities during the pandemic and we want to do even more. But we are at breaking point.

Years of underfunding and an overstretched workforce have brought us to our knees. Too many local pharmacies have been forced to close. And it can often feel like pharmacies are an afterthought when it comes to Government and NHS leaders. Local pharmacies need your help. 

That is why I’ve launched this petition, to appeal to the Government and NHS leaders. We should have access to the same security funds that other important areas of primary care like GPs do. Please help local pharmacies. Stop the violence. Stop local pharmacy closures. And help us to do even more for UK patients.

I am working with the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, the Company Chemists Association, the National Pharmacy Association, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to secure a better future for pharmacy. Helping pharmacy teams to help more patients is a no-brainer! We just need the Government to help us secure a safer and more certain future.

I urge the Secretary of State for Health to provide access to additional funding for local pharmacies to deliver a safe secure environment for staff and to help more patients.

#FutureofPharmacy