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A pharmacist who was found by a fitness-to-practise committee of going to work despite consuming alcohol and dumping medicines including prescription and controlled drugs and confidential pharmacy waste in a local park has been suspended for 12 months by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). 

Jitendra Desai was handed the suspension after a fitness to practise committee principle hearing found he disposed of medication, including zolpidem and lorazepam, in waste bags in an unsafe manner in Beacon Park, Heswell, on December 12, 2024, while working as the responsible pharmacist at Oakley Pharmacy in the town.

The committee also found that on September 27, 2024, Desai attended work “whilst unfit” having heard evidence his speech was “slurred”, he was “unsteady” on his feet and he “had consumed alcohol”.

However, a third allegation that he failed to keep an up-to-date responsible pharmacist record and have in place an updated controlled drugs register between January and October 2023 was not proven.

Appeared drunk and was unsteady on his feet

On September 27, 2024, a patient raised a concern with a GP practice occupying the same site as the pharmacy which prompted two witnesses from the surgery, ‘Dr M’, who was then GP partner at Myrtle Group Practice, and ‘Ms K’, then the Group’s practice manager, to speak to Desai. The committee heard the pair spoke to him “in person, individually and together”.

According to Dr M, Desai “appeared drunk” and “was unsteady on his feet when walking round and slurring his words” and “his breath smelt of mints”. Desai denied drinking but refused to take the surgery’s on-site breathalyser test.

Ms K told the committee: “Whilst he was talking to me, he was slurring his words, telling me everything was all ok…his walking was all over the place and he was not walking in a straight line.”

She said Desai, who did not attend the hearing, nor was anyone there on his behalf, was “sat in his chair slumped…he looked dishevelled…he just did not look himself”. The committee heard Desai “accepted he should leave the pharmacy when asked to do so by Dr M”.

In its report, the committee said it had “conflicting evidence” when deciding whether Desai had consumed alcohol, given he had reportedly told his staff that “he had taken co-codamol” and “was getting used to some new medication”.

The pharmacy’s incident report said that after returning from lunch, Desai “appeared to be a little distressed. When asked, he said he had just fallen over outside and hurt himself”.

The report added: “He said he was going to rest in the office for a while. When he came out of the office a while later, he appeared to be unsteady on his feet and he said he had taken some strong painkillers.”

However, after considering all the evidence including “direct witness evidence of his demeanour at the time”, the committee concluded he was “unfit for work and had consumed alcohol on 27 September 2024”.

The committee also found Desai dumped medicines and pharmacy waste in the park after hearing evidence from a GPhC inspector, referred to as ‘Mr W’, who was contacted by a Wirral Council park ranger about waste that had been recovered in the park. 

The committee heard Mr W searched through the waste, which had been moved to another location. Mr W found his “business cards and other material that enabled him to connect the waste with the registrant’s pharmacy”.

The committee also heard that according to Google Maps, Beacon Park is less than a mile from Oakley Pharmacy. An email exchange between a GPhC case officer and Desai last year ended with Desai admitting to dumping the waste in the park.

On April 7, 2025, the case officer told him the GPhC “received a concern that rubbish bin bags containing half empty blister packets were found discarded at a public park”. On May 13, 2025, Desai responded: “Sorry for the late response. I was responsible for leaving the items in the woods.” No confidential patient details were found discarded in the park.

Necessary for public protection

The committee found he breached five standards covering pharmacy professionals using their professional judgement, behaving in a professional manner, respecting and maintaining a person’s confidentiality and privacy, speaking up when they have concerns or when things go wrong and demonstrating leadership.

The committee also noted Desai was given a warning by the GPhC’s investigation committee in 2012 after failing to inform it about two separate convictions for drink driving offences, one in 2005 and one in 2008.

The committee said although there was “no evidence of patient or public harm”, Desai’s conduct “could have caused serious harm to patients and the public”.

The committee said there was “a high risk of repetition” and suspending Desai was “necessary for public protection and is also in the public interest”.