C+D reported in July that a member of the Community Pharmacy South Central (CPSC) local pharmaceutical committee (LPC) – who wishes to remain anonymous – had lodged a complaint against the LPC’s chair, Ashley Littlewood-Miller, after feeling they had been discriminated against based on their ethnicity.
In a statement to C+D on Tuesday (September 28), Community Pharmacy South Central (CPSC) CEO Deborah Crockford said the investigation “has now concluded and none of the allegations against the chair have been upheld”.
“The investigation was unable to find evidence to support the complaints in relation to the complainant’s race or otherwise,” Ms Crockford added.
Process took longer than “ideal”
Ms Crockford told C+D that the committee agrees “that the investigation process took longer than would be ideal”.
However, she claimed this was due to a number of factors, “including a lack of response from the committee member who had lodged the complaints and occasional procedural delays in the investigation work”.
“At every stage of the investigation process, the committee has satisfied itself that there were no breaches of confidentiality, governance or of the [LPC’s] constitution,” Ms Crockford said.
CPSC is now working to improve the relationships among different members of the committee, and to “improve our processes… to ensure that delays in our procedures can be avoided in the future”, Ms Crockford continued.
Ms Crockford was unable to clarify the timings of the investigation when asked by C+D.
Complainant: New investigation needed
The anonymous committee member told C+D that they reject the outcome of the investigation.
They were under the impression that some aspects of their original complaint had been omitted from the investigation, which they claimed “was not conducted in a proper fashion”.
A new investigation should be carried out by individuals trained to deal with equality and diversity issues, the committee member suggested, adding that they believe the members who carried out the investigation “had little or no understanding of dealing with such matters”.
“The LPC and the investigating committee failed to understand the fundamentals of the complaint,” they added, revealing they are considering taking legal action if a new, independent investigation is not carried out.
Responding to these claims, Ms Crockford told C+D: “The LPC is currently satisfied the investigation was full, thorough and fair.
“We are currently working with the complainant to understand any remaining concerns regarding the investigation.”
In an effort to investigate whether pharmacy professionals' experience of racism in pharmacy had changed over the past 12 months, C+D has hosted a webinar – which you can now rewatch – entitled Racism in pharmacy – what's changed and what's next?