Pharmacy Technician Reinstated After Suspension for Dry Cleaning Business Dishonesty
Date of Decision: February 28, 2019
Registrant's Role: Pharmacy technician
Allegations:
- Dishonestly claimed paid and unpaid carer's leave while working at her husband's dry-cleaning business.
- Dishonestly claimed sick leave while again working at the dry-cleaning shop.
- Intended to mislead her employer (the Trust) regarding the true circumstances of her absences.
Outcome: Suspension allowed to expire; registrant's fitness to practise no longer impaired.
GPhC Standards Breached:
- Standard 1 – Provide person-centred care.
- Standard 2 – Work in partnership with people.
- Standard 6 – Behave in a professional manner.
- Standard 9 – Demonstrate leadership.
Case Summary
Allegations
This case centred around a pharmacy technician who was found to have acted dishonestly by falsely claiming carer’s and sick leave from her NHS Trust employer while working at her husband’s dry-cleaning business. The registrant submitted a special leave request in January 2017, claiming she needed paid and unpaid leave to care for a sick child. However, she was observed working at the dry-cleaners during this period.
A few weeks later, in February 2017, the registrant again called in sick to work, but was once more seen at the same dry-cleaning business. These actions led to investigations by the NHS Counter Fraud Service and the Trust’s HR department. The registrant admitted her wrongdoing before a Trust disciplinary panel and expressed remorse for her actions.
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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 Pharmacy technician
- Key professional learning points
Original Case Document
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