The PDA has a long history of campaigning against the violence experienced by pharmacists, and the PDA’s Violence in Pharmacy policy and resource pack, along with the Safer Pharmacies Charter has been helpful to pharmacists practicing in many sectors. However, the NHS has recently updated its own Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard.
The standard was developed in partnership with the Social Partnership Forum, Integrated Care Systems and NHS organisations. The VPR Standard encourages a public health, trauma informed approach to preventing and reducing violence, understanding the root causes to distress. It now includes a new Red, Amber, Green (RAG) rating to help organisations identify areas to action and measures progress over time.
NHS bodies should use the updated standard to assess the circumstances at their organisation and take action to prevent and reduce violence and abuse against staff. Use of the Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard is a key step for organisations to evidence their commitment to reducing violence and abuse against staff, supporting their health and wellbeing in line with the ‘We are Safe and Healthy’ element of the NHS People Promise, reducing absenteeism and ultimately improving recruitment, staff experience, retention and patient care.
As a member of the Social Partnership Forum, the PDA Union recommends that NHS employers should consult with local trade unions on the implementation of the second edition of this standard. PDA members should talk to their local rep about this and other topics.
If your trust does not yet have a PDA Union representative, please provide your details so that we may talk to you about what being a local rep entails. Learn more.
Learn more
- Access the Violence prevention and reduction standard
- The violence prevention and reduction standard assessment – Word version
- PDA Violence in Pharmacy Policy and Resource Pack
- Safer Pharmacies Charter
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
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