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A survey conducted by Community Pharmacy England has revealed the regular extent of abuse against community pharmacy teams, including racist behaviour, threats and physical violence.
Results of the survey, published on 26 March 2026, used data from 289 pharmacy owners and staff, representing more than 3,000 pharmacy premises.
More than half (55%) of pharmacies reported that they experienced verbal abuse in the previous six months. Of those respondents, three-quarters (75%) said verbal abuse occurred at least weekly, while one in five (21%) reported it as a daily occurrence.
Physical abuse — although less common — remains a serious concern. The survey revealed that around 6% of pharmacies reported physical assaults over the same period, including incidents involving strangulation, punching and objects being thrown.
Pharmacy teams also reported being subjected to racism, sexism and discriminatory behaviour, as well as threats of violence.
One respondent noted that a “patient snuck behind the pharmacy counter and strangled the pharmacist”, while another reported a “knife attack in pharmacy”.
Others described being threatened with death, having items thrown at them or experiencing repeated racist abuse from patients.
Mark Donaghy, professional development manager at Kamsons Pharmacy, a family-owned group of over 80 pharmacies across England, said: “In recent months, we have seen an increasing number of reports of pharmacists and pharmacy teams facing abuse linked to late or inappropriate referrals, heightened pressures on urgent care, and unrealistic expectations.
“While the majority will treat pharmacy staff with respect, even isolated incidents of aggression can have a profound and lasting impact on the individuals involved, their colleagues and the service provided to the local community.”
Dervis Gurol, owner and superintendent pharmacist of Healthy-U Pharmacy in Saltdean, Brighton, added: “Pharmacy teams are on the frontline every day. We absorb the frustration caused by NHS delays, medication shortages and system failures — but it’s our staff who face threats, attacks, harassment and disrespect. This takes a real toll on my team, it deeply affects morale, retention and their safety.
“In my pharmacy, we’ve invested in screens at counters, CCTV and maintain good links to police community support officers, but not all pharmacies have access to these protections.”
The findings suggest that abuse is disproportionately affecting counter staff, trainees, women and younger team members, which contributes to fear, burnout and, in some cases, pharmacists leaving the profession. One pharmacy manager said they had been assaulted — resulting in injury and time off work — and had since decided to take early retirement.
CPE’s research comes shortly after the results of the latest NHS Staff Survey, published on 12 March 2026, showed that 14.47% of staff experienced at least one incident of physical violence from patients, service users or the public. The figure is largely unchanged from 14.38% in 2024 and 13.88% in 2023.
Harassment, bullying or abuse from the same groups affected 25.25% of staff, a slight rise from 25.06% in 2024, the survey results found.
Gurol added: “Basic security or protection should be standardised and fully funded for all pharmacy premises. The government needs to take a strict stance on abuse of all healthcare staff including pharmacy teams. If attacking a police officer and other emergency workers is a serious offence, the same should apply to community pharmacy staff.”
CPE also warned that incidents may be underreported, meaning that the true scale of the problem could be higher. The organisation has called for stronger protections for pharmacy staff, better coordination between NHS primary care and community pharmacy, as well as a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.
Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, said: “Pharmacy teams are the backbone of community healthcare. They should never face any kind of abuse, racism, discrimination, threats or violence just for doing their jobs.”
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said the organisation had seen “alarming rise” in similarly abusive behaviour and assaults on pharmacy staff in recent years, adding that this was “absolutely unacceptable”.
“When pharmacies report these issues to both the police and wider NHS, all too often the response is inadequate,” he said.
Gregg added that pharmacy teams are often more exposed owing to their accessibility on the high street and called for the NHS to provide “similar support given to other colleagues in primary care”.
Pharmacy leaders said urgent, system-wide action is needed to ensure staff are protected.
Danielle Hunt, chief executive of Pharmacist Support, said: “[It is] essential that pharmacy teams feel confident to speak up about abuse and are empowered to adopt a zero-tolerance approach when their safety or wellbeing is threatened.”
Morrison said the findings highlight escalating abuse in “one of the NHS’s most accessible frontline services” and that pharmacies must be included “on priority lists for protection and support”.
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “Pharmacy teams deserve to feel safe at work, and the government must ensure they are given the same legal protections and support as colleagues across the wider NHS. No one should face abuse or violence simply for doing their job.”
