Pharmacy employees subjected to threats and abusive behaviour

A shortage of staff and medication has resulted in long lines and waiting times at Lloyds Pharmacies

Death threats, spitting and severely abusive behaviour are just some of the day-to-day issues that employees at Lloyds Pharmacy on the Isle of Man are being subjected to.

A shortage of staff and medication has resulted in long queues snaking outside these establishments, with residents queuing for hours.

After enduring months of intimidation and threats, this employee - who's voice has been modified to keep their anonymity - has spoken out, highlighting serious failings within senior management at Lloyds Pharmacy on the Isle of Man.

The Samaritans is a charity aimed at providing support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide.

Those on the front line within the Samaritans are trained specifically to deal with the most distressing situations that they are confronted with.

They also offer free training to businesses on how to help their employees cope.

Sinead Nudd is a volunteer within the Samaritans.

In response, a spokesperson for Lloyds Pharmacy says:

"At the moment there is significant pressure on community pharmacy across the UK, including the Isle of Man. This is due to sector-wide workforce issues that are not unique to LloydsPharmacy. At times, this has lead to a disruption to our services, and we apologise sincerely to our patients and customers for this.  Understandably it is a cause of frustration for them.  Nevertheless, we are grateful for their patience and that we have not had to deal with any serious incidents of customer behaviour, including those mentioned in your enquiry.

"As a management team we take the safety of our colleagues and patients very seriously. Our field management teams work closely with our teams to stay fully up to date on all branch matters.   As part of this, they regularly make colleagues aware of how to escalate all incidents, serious or otherwise, so that we can put in place appropriate measures. Furthermore, we have an extensive package of support for our colleagues, including 24/7 confidential counselling and advice, should they need it.

"Lastly, our senior management team is working very closely with Manx Care to find ways to resolve these staffing issues as quickly as possible.  It is our top, ongoing, priority to ensure we are on hand to support our colleagues, patients and the community consistently during these challenging times.”

Meanwhile, Manx Care has condemned the behaviour in a statement issued to Manx Radio:

Lloyds Pharmacy is contracted by Manx Care to provide services, and so these are not our colleagues/our stores. Whilst it is not our role to put measures in place to make their staff feel safer in store, we do not in any way condone threatening behaviour, violence or assaults, and it is absolutely unacceptable that members of the public are allegedly behaving in this manner towards staff.

We have been working with Lloyds Pharmacy in recent months, and have at times deployed our own colleagues into the Ramsey branches to support Lloyds Pharmacy and their staff, and to, as far as possible, maintain service delivery. All pharmacies across the Island are currently struggling due to staffing and medicine shortages, which are international issues. Manx Care is in full support of staff in these stores.

If you've been affected by anything in this story, support is available at:

• Isle of Man Samaritans
• Cruse Isle of Man
• Bereaved Survivors of Suicide Isle of Man