GPhC Allows Two Pharmacists to Return to Practice After Dishonest RP Records and Unsafe Pharmacy Operations
Date of Decision: September 22, 2026
Registrant's Role: Pharmacist
Allegations:
- Allowing pharmacy-only and prescription-only medicines, including controlled drugs, to be supplied when no pharmacist was present. During a GPhC inspector’s visit, a staff member sold co-codamol in the absence of a pharmacist.
- Failing to secure the controlled-drug cabinet keys adequately. An inspector found them in a tin upstairs, accessible to staff.
- Failing to provide adequate procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), staff training and checks for the supply of medicines.
- Using personal mobile phones and WhatsApp to share photographs for medicine checks, including photographs containing patients’ personal and medical information.
- Failing to record Responsible Pharmacist (RP) absences adequately and dishonestly entering approximately 09:00 as the start time on occasions when they arrived later.
Outcome: 12-month suspension expires.
Case Summary
Allegations
This case concerned two pharmacists who owned and directed a community pharmacy in Halifax. One also held the superintendent pharmacist role. A staff member raised concerns with the GPhC, prompting an inspector to make a test purchase on 29 March 2023. A member of the pharmacy team sold the inspector co-codamol, a pharmacy-only medicine, when no pharmacist was present. The inspector then returned with a colleague to conduct a formal inspection.
The subsequent case covered more than that single sale. The original committee found that supplying medicines without a pharmacist present had become a regular practice. Staff handed out prescription-only medicines, including controlled drugs, in the registrants’ absence, and the registrants knew about and permitted the practice. The committee also found inadequate arrangements for checking and supplying medicines, deficient SOPs and insufficient staff training. During the inspection, the controlled-drug cabinet keys were found in a tin upstairs where staff could readily access them.
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- Full allegations considered by the GPhC/PSNI
- Panel findings and reasoning
- Outcome of the investigation
- Sanctions considered and imposed on the Pharmacist
- Key professional learning points
Original Case Document
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