# Report a Concern About a UK Pharmacy | Pick My Pharmacy URL: https://pickmypharmacy.co.uk/answers/how-do-i-report-a-concern-about-a-pharmacy/ Description: Where to complain about a UK pharmacy: the pharmacy itself for service problems, the GPhC for safety concerns, and the MHRA for suspect sellers. --- - [Home](/) - /[Answers](/answers/) - /How do I report a concern about a pharmacy or pharmacist? Using Your Pharmacy # How do I report a concern about a pharmacy or pharmacist? By [Kaiser Khan](/author/kaiser-khan/) · Updated 15 July 2026 In short It depends on the problem. If you urgently need medicine you have not received, call NHS 111 — regulators cannot resolve urgent supply. For customer-service problems (waiting times, deliveries, refunds, stock), complain to the pharmacy or its head office first. For serious concerns about a pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or pharmacy — unsafe practice, repeated dispensing errors, dishonesty, or a professional working while impaired — report it to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) at pharmacyregulation.org. Report suspicious online medicine sellers to the MHRA, and suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. At a glance - ·Urgent medicine need: call NHS 111 — the GPhC cannot resolve urgent supply issues - ·Customer service, stock, refunds, and waiting times: complain to the pharmacy or head office, not the regulator - ·Serious safety or conduct concerns about professionals or premises: report to the GPhC - ·Suspicious online medicine sellers: report to the MHRA - ·Suspected medicine side effects: MHRA Yellow Card scheme - ·NHS pharmacy service complaints: your integrated care board (England) or health board (Scotland and Wales) ## Start with the pharmacy for service problems The GPhC is explicit that it is not a general complaints body and does not resolve disputes, arrange refunds, or order compensation. Everyday problems — long waiting times, a failed delivery, rude counter service, opening hours, an item out of stock — should go to the pharmacy itself first. Every pharmacy must have a complaints procedure, and chains have head-office customer service teams that can resolve refunds and delivery failures quickly. If your complaint is about an NHS service the pharmacy provides (an NHS prescription, Pharmacy First, or an NHS flu jab), you can also complain through the NHS: in England to the pharmacy or your local integrated care board (ICB), and in Scotland or Wales to your local health board. Keep receipts, prescription slips, and dates — they make any escalation faster. ## When to go to the GPhC The General Pharmaceutical Council investigates concerns where patient safety or public confidence in pharmacy is at risk. That includes serious unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour — abusive or threatening conduct, dishonesty or fraud, working under the influence of drugs or alcohol — repeated dispensing errors such as regularly receiving the wrong medicine, criminal convictions or cautions, and health problems that affect a professional's ability to practise safely. Reports are made through the online form at pharmacyregulation.org and are assessed against published acceptance criteria at a triage stage; many concerns are redirected to a more appropriate route, so it is worth matching your issue to the right organisation before you file. The GPhC can also take safeguarding concerns — protecting people from harm, abuse, or neglect — through a dedicated form. ## Reporting fake or suspicious online sellers If you find a website selling prescription medicines with no consultation, a social-media seller offering weight-loss pens, or any online pharmacy that fails the GPhC register check, report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which investigates illegal medicine sales in the UK. If you have taken a medicine and suspect a side effect — or suspect the medicine itself is fake or defective — report it through the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk. Both reports can be made online in minutes and can be anonymous. Reporting matters: regulators rely on public reports to take down illegal sellers before other patients are harmed. ## What happens after you report to the GPhC Concerns are triaged first: the GPhC checks whether the issue meets its acceptance criteria and whether it is the right organisation to act. If accepted, it may investigate, which can lead to no action, advice, or — for serious cases — fitness-to-practise proceedings against an individual, with hearings that can end in conditions, suspension, or removal from the register. Premises concerns can trigger inspection or enforcement action against the pharmacy's registration. Investigations take time and the GPhC will not act as your advocate in a refund dispute — but a well-evidenced safety report protects future patients even when you personally receive no remedy. This page is general information, not legal advice; for urgent medical problems always use NHS 111 or 999. Next step ## Compare Pharmacies for What You Need See NHS services, private prices, and reviews side by side — GPhC-checked, free, and no obligation. Pharmacies you don't pick never see your details. [Browse pharmacies](/pharmacies/)[Prescription Cost calculators →](/calculators/) ## People Also Ask Can the GPhC get me a refund or compensation?+ No. The GPhC is a safety regulator, not a complaints or compensation body. Refunds and compensation come from the pharmacy itself, its head office, or — for consumer-rights disputes — routes such as your card provider or the small claims process. Can I report a pharmacy anonymously?+ You can raise concerns without giving your name to the pharmacy, and MHRA reports can be anonymous. Anonymous reports are harder for the GPhC to investigate fully, though, because they cannot follow up for evidence — give contact details if you can. Who regulates pharmacies in Northern Ireland?+ The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), not the GPhC. The GPhC covers England, Scotland, and Wales. Concerns about Northern Ireland pharmacies go to the PSNI. I was sold a fake medicine online — who do I tell?+ Report the seller to the MHRA, report the medicine through the Yellow Card scheme, and contact your bank or card provider about the payment. If you have taken the medicine and feel unwell, contact NHS 111 or your GP promptly. Keep reading - [What is the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council)?](/answers/what-is-the-gphc/) - [What standards must UK pharmacies and pharmacists meet?](/answers/what-standards-must-uk-pharmacies-meet/) - [How do I check if an online pharmacy is legit?](/answers/how-do-i-check-if-an-online-pharmacy-is-legit/) - [Are online pharmacies safe to use?](/answers/are-online-pharmacies-safe/) - [Report a concern to the GPhC](https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/patients-and-public/reporting-concerns) - [MHRA Yellow Card scheme](https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/) **Affiliate disclosure:**Pick My Pharmacy is free to use. We may earn a fee when you visit a referral partner or send a private-service enquiry. That never changes ratings, match results, or the prices you pay. Outbound partner links userel="sponsored". See[affiliate compliance](/methodology/#affiliate-compliance)and[how we make money](/how-it-works/). This article is general information for UK patients, not medical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on [nhs.uk](https://www.nhs.uk) or speak to a pharmacist or GP before acting. For urgent medical help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from our[methodology](/methodology/).