Pharmacist Removed from GPhC Register After Theft of Prescription Medicines Worth £44,842

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Fitness to Practise Committee investigated a pharmacist following his conviction for stealing prescription-only medicines from a pharmacy where he worked as a locum pharmacist.

Between January and October 2019, the pharmacist:

1. Ordered large quantities of prescription medicines for the pharmacy but removed them for his own purposes.
2. Repeatedly stole stock, placing items in his car approximately four times per week.
3. Did not store refrigerated medicines appropriately, increasing the risk of compromised patient safety.

The pharmacy owner, concerned about discrepancies in stock levels and cash flow, installed CCTV cameras and caught the pharmacist live on camera stealing stock on 12 October 2019.

The police were called, and the pharmacist admitted his actions at the scene.

Findings:

The Fitness to Practise Committee reviewed the case and determined that the pharmacist’s actions constituted serious professional misconduct, considering:

1. Abuse of Trust and Position:
   • Pharmacists are trusted healthcare professionals, and stealing prescription medicines undermines public confidence.
   • The pharmacist was responsible for ordering stock, meaning he deliberately misused his position for financial gain.
2. Prolonged, Premeditated Theft:
   • The pharmacist stole prescription medicines over a 10-month period, showing premeditation and persistence.
3. Failure to Store Medication Properly:
   • The theft included refrigerated drugs, which were not stored at appropriate temperatures.
   • This posed a significant risk to patient safety, as the effectiveness of these medicines could have been compromised.
4. High Financial and Operational Impact on the Pharmacy:
   • The theft caused a loss of £44,842, impacting the pharmacy’s ability to provide care to patients.
5. Criminal Conviction for Theft:
   • The pharmacist pleaded guilty at Merseyside Magistrates’ Court on 24 February 2021.
   • He was sentenced to 18 months of immediate imprisonment and ordered to pay full compensation to the pharmacy owner.

The committee ruled that his fitness to practise was impaired, given the seriousness of his actions and the criminal conviction.

GPhC Determination on Impairment:

The GPhC emphasized that the pharmacist’s conduct was fundamentally incompatible with registration.

Key considerations included:

• Pharmacists are expected to protect public health, not exploit their roles for personal financial gain.
• The length and scale of the theft showed a clear pattern of dishonesty.
• The conviction significantly damaged public confidence in the profession.

While the pharmacist expressed remorse, the committee found:

• He focused on the personal impact on himself and his family, rather than on the impact on the profession.
• He did not demonstrate insight into why his actions were unacceptable or how he would prevent recurrence.

As a result, the committee found that removal from the register was the only proportionate sanction.

Sanction:

The committee imposed removal from the GPhC register, considering:

• Aggravating Factors:
  • The theft was premeditated and occurred over 10 months.
  • Large quantities of prescription medicines were stolen, including refrigerated drugs.
  • The pharmacist manipulated his access to ordering stock for personal financial gain.
• Mitigating Factors:
  • The pharmacist pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
  • He expressed remorse.
  • He had no previous disciplinary history.

However, despite the mitigating circumstances, the committee ruled that removal from the register was necessary, stating:

“Pharmacists who engage in criminal behaviour that undermines the controlled conditions under which prescription-only drugs are distributed must understand that there are serious penalties for undermining that system.”

Key Learning Points for Pharmacy Professionals:

This case highlights critical lessons regarding professional integrity, theft, and regulatory compliance.

1. Pharmacists Must Uphold Professional Trust:
   • The public and employers trust pharmacists to act with integrity.
   • Stealing from a pharmacy is a serious breach of professional and legal obligations.
2. Theft of Prescription Medicines Poses Serious Risks to Public Safety:
   • Medications must be stored properly and dispensed through legitimate channels.
   • Diverting stock creates risks of unsafe distribution and patient harm.
3. Criminal Convictions Can Lead to Removal from the Register:
   • A criminal record for dishonesty is incompatible with pharmacy practice.
   • The GPhC takes theft and fraud very seriously, even when no direct patient harm occurs.
4. Regulatory Sanctions Are Severe for Serious Dishonesty:
   • The pharmacist was removed from the register due to the scale and duration of his dishonesty.
   • Rehabilitation would have required significant insight and remediation efforts, which were lacking in this case.
5. Financial Pressures Are Not a Justification for Misconduct:
   • The pharmacist claimed that he stole due to financial strain from setting up his business.
   • Personal circumstances do not excuse unethical behaviour in healthcare professions.