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A former Boots manager who failed to report his police caution to the GPhC after being caught on CCTV stealing codeine from the pharmacy has been suspended for eight months. 

Sam Haswell, who was employed at the Maddison Street branch of Boots in Northumberland from 2020 before being transferred in July 2022 and then being dismissed in October that year, was recorded taking a single box of codeine on three dates in August 2022. He had been signed off sick from the branch on July 24 that year.

In a subsequent meeting with a member of Boots senior management, he explained that he had needed the codeine for pain he was experiencing. 

This led to him being investigated by the company and ultimately dismissed in October 2022 and to his receiving a conditional caution on December 7 that year. 

A fitness to practise hearing that took place over July 28-August 1 and which was not attended by Mr Haswell also found that on three dates in August 2022 he had entered the dispensary, prescribed medicine for himself and dispensed his own drugs. 

In his interview with Boots management, Mr Haswell “acknowledged that this was wrong and explained that a pharmacist working in the dispensary had said he was busy and told him to dispense and check his own medication because he was a pharmacist”.  

The FtP committee also considered evidence that on four dates between April 13-July 20, 2022 he had used the pharmacy’s Columbus ordering system to place large orders for codeine and diazepam totalling 2,240 and 420 tablets respectively.

The codeine orders were listed under ‘seasonal’ on Columbus, which Mr Haswell’s colleagues found “surprising”. The order for 420 diazepam 2mg tablets was listed under ‘services’.

However, there was no evidence that he had actually removed drugs from the pharmacy prior to August 2022 or that he had knowingly and improperly ordered the drugs for his own use, meaning that a separate allegation of dishonesty was not found proven. 

Delay in reporting caution to GPhC

Mr Haswell reported his police caution to the GPhC on May 31, 2023, telling the regulator: “During this time, I made the extremally unprofessional decision to remove three packs of medication from my place of work in order to relieve my symptoms, out of sheer desperation. 

“My employer found out, and rightfully informed the police. I was interviewed, admitted what I had done and was cautioned.

Explaining why he had failed to report his conditional caution to the regulator within seven days as required, he said the police had told him they would inform the GPhC on his behalf.

“When filling in my revalidation it occurred to me that I had not personally informed the GPhC and am relying on someone else's word,” he added.  

The FtP committee, which focused primarily on the matters that gave rise to Mr Haswell’s police caution, found that his conduct “fell seriously below that expected of a pharmacist” and amounted to serious misconduct. 

And as Mr Haswell ceased to engage with the FtP process after April 2025 and has failed to respond to “many emails, telephones and phone calls,” the committee said it could be assured that he has continued to develop insight into his misconduct or taken steps to reduce his chances of repeating it.

Imposing an eight-month suspension order, the committee advised Mr Haswell that the order will be reviewed shortly before it expires and that he would stand to benefit from attending this review and providing a written reflection explaining his actions, why they were wrong and how he will ensure he does not repeat his misconduct. 

Related stories: Keep an eye on staff theft, GPhC warns superintendents