NHS England has warned patients to check the identity of cold callers claiming to be from a distance-selling pharmacy with NHS backing.

The commissioning body told C+D last week that it had been notified about “unsolicited calls” from regional distance-selling pharmacies – which it did not name – claiming to operate on behalf of the NHS.

Contractor Colin Vallance, a member of County Durham and Darlington LPC, told C+D that the LPC had alerted NHS England to an “alarming number” of cold calls to patients from a distance-selling pharmacy since January.

A “number of people” had claimed that the callers had falsely stated that they were phoning on behalf of an “NHS initiative”, he revealed.

NHS England said it would “thoroughly investigate” any concerns related to the provision of community pharmacy services in Cumbria and the north east of England. “We would advise patients to check the credentials of all callers before divulging any personal information or signing up to these services,” an NHS England spokesperson said. “Patients can exercise their choice in selecting pharmacy services and should not be misled in making decisions,” it added.

Mr Vallance said the company – which PSNC had advised the LPC not to name – had initially called pensioners in the area, but had since “managed to target people under pensionable age on long-term medication”. The callers would claim that they were phoning about a scheme involving local GPs and pharmacies and asked patients for confidential information to sign them up, he said.

The LPC was first notified about the calls when a patient reported they had been “duped into” signing up to the service. “They quickly tried to withdraw from the service and that was when we became aware,” Mr Vallance said.

Mr Vallance had alerted PSNC, which collaborated with the LPC to draft a warning to patients that was published on a local paper’s website earlier this month.

PSNC director of regulation and support Steve Lutener said it hoped NHS England would “fully investigate” the complaints to “ensure that patient choice is not being undermined”. NHS England should work with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to identify if any regulations had been breached and take “appropriate action” if necessary, he said.

The GPhC’s guidance for distance-selling pharmacies, which was updated last month, states that staff who do not see patients face-to-face should “communicate any important information clearly and effectively” to them.

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