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A pharmacist who was suspended last year after removing packs of codeine from a branch of Boots where he worked and consuming some of those medicines while on duty as the responsible pharmacist has been given a six-month conditions of practice order. 

A General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) fitness-to-practise committee told Adam Ahmed Patel he must give the GPhC the contact details of his place of employment and manager or supervisor and inform the regulator before taking on any position that requires registration.

He was told to give the GPhC details of the role and the hours he will work each week, including locum or relief work and inform future employers about those conditions.

Patel was also told to find a workplace supervisor, approved by the GPhC, before returning to work as a pharmacist, “stay under the close supervision” of that supervisor and give the GPhC permission to “exchange information” with that individual about his “efforts to improve” his practice.

Patel was given a 12-month suspension last year after intentionally removing 10 to 15 packs of codeine 30mg from the pharmacy and consuming some of those medicines while on duty as the responsible pharmacist and store manager at Boots in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, between January 2022 and April 2023.

Patel was also found to have accessed the pharmacy outside trading hours and without authorisation and amended its records by adding staff initials without their permission.

The committee heard that in 2023, Boots’ computer records “indicated there was a discrepancy between the amount of codeine ordered and the quantities either supplied or retained in stock”. Patel was interviewed as part of Boots’ investigation which found he entered the pharmacy outside business hours, often at weekends or bank holidays.

The GPhC committee report said he “altered the stock to make it appear as though other members of staff had wiped off the medication that was not accounted for”. Boots’ investigation found Patel did this “on 14 occasions in respect of 2,430 tablets of codeine”.

The committee heard that “after some initial prevarication” and claims he could not remember, Patel admitted to the Boots investigator that he had taken codeine from the pharmacy “on many occasions” and altered stock records after work hours and on days when the pharmacy was closed.

In its report, the committee also said he “knowingly gave excessive quantities of co-codamol, a habit-forming medicine, to a patient without assurance there was a legitimate medical need for it” and in circumstances where he “knew or ought to have known there was a risk of the medication being misused or abused by the patient”.

Patel’s fitness to practise was found to be impaired by reason of his misconduct. His suspension started on October 17, 2025, and is due to expire on October 16 2026.

The committee originally heard Patel had an “exemplary record over 25 years, evidenced by testimonials and newspaper articles and national awards which show the registrant was well regarded by colleagues, patients and the public”.

It also heard Patel “was not motivated by any financial motive” and despite initially implicating his colleagues by altering records, “he immediately confessed to his misconduct and explained that he and he alone was responsible as soon as it became apparent to him that others might be blamed”.

“He expressed an apology for the people he had let down by his dishonesty and unprofessionalism,” the committee’s report said. “As a condition of the termination of his contract with Boots, he has not been allowed to contact former colleagues directly, but he wanted to express his remorse and say sorry to them for what they may have gone through.”

However, the committee concluded there were aggravating factors, such as his “position of seniority” at the time of the allegations, his “repeated and dishonest” actions and his implication of staff members “in circumstances where he was their manager”.

The report also said his “actions caused actual or potential harm to a vulnerable patient” but added he accepted “that selling excessive amounts of co-codamol to a patient who was addicted was wrong and was causing her harm and he wanted to apologise to her for that”.

Patel has until October 23 to lodge an appeal against the six-month conditions of practice order.