Pharmacist describes being threatened with screwdriver as staff face 'escalating abuse'

A pharmacist has described the moment a patient threatened him with a screwdriver because he wouldn't provide the medication they wanted, as a poll suggests staff are facing "escalating abuse" from patients.

The survey found reports of racism, verbal attacks and violence.

Around one in five pharmacy owners said verbal abuse was a daily occurrence, according to Community Pharmacy England.

Dervis Gurol, owner of Healthy You Pharmacy in Saltdean, said he had experienced a patient brandishing a screwdriver and staff being spat on.

'The abuse is escalating'

Mr Gurol, an independent contractor who sits at Community Pharmacy England, told Sky News: "A few years ago, I had a patient that pulled out a screwdriver on me and wanted to assault me because I wouldn't give him the medication he wanted on the day."

The medication, Mr Gurol pointed out, required a prescription - meaning he couldn't let the patient have it.

"And also, recently in my pharmacy, we have had my staff being spat on because a patient couldn't get what they wanted," he added.

"It was nothing to do with us. It wasn't to do our service levels. They wanted to obtain some medication for their liking, which requires a prescription."

He added: "The abuse towards community pharmacy teams is widespread and is actually escalating.

"Some pharmacies are experiencing incidents daily, and the feeling on the ground is the pharmacy staff are not receiving the same system and support as other NHS services when serious threats or violence occur."

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Community Pharmacy England is calling for stronger protection for workers.

The poll of 289 pharmacy owners, who represent more than 3,000 pharmacies, found more than half (55%) had faced verbal abuse in the last six months.

Three-quarters of those had experienced this weekly, with around one in five saying it was a daily occurrence.

Those who responded reported experiencing racist, religious, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic and xenophobic abuse directed at staff.

One said a patient had refused to be served by a pharmacist wearing a headscarf.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pharmacist describes being threatened with screwdriver as staff face 'escalating abuse'