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A pharmacist who was found to be responsible for a number of failures at Covid-19 vaccination sites in late 2022 and early 2023, including the storage of used sharps in black bags, has had conditions imposed by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Following a remote hearing that took place on dates between June 23 and August 26, Mohammad Javed was told he must not be involved in owning a running a pharmacy, work for any family-owned business, or practise in “any separate vaccination service” or online pharmacy for 12 months.

Mr Javed had been responsible for setting up three Covid vaccination sites in the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board region during a booster immunisation campaign in late 2022 and early 2023, a role he carried out on behalf of Barkat Pharmacy in Birmingham.

Questions were raised around whether he had the authorisation from the pharmacy to apply to open sites, but these allegations were not found proved.

Concerns were raised around how vaccines were transported at a site in Haverhill after team manager Michael Round reported the use of an insulated lunchbox with cool packs inside.

There was also evidence from the same site of used vaccine equipment being stored incorrectly and a lack of proper waste collection.

Photographic evidence showed some containers for used sharps were left open, and that many containers were not clearly marked and appeared to be yellow plastic waste containers with separate lids that were not meant to store sharps in.

Mr Round also identified that a number of black bags were used to store used sharps and vaccine vials, and took the view that the volume of waste at the site suggested there had been no waste collection while the site was operational.

Mr Javed accepted this was inappropriate, commenting that the NHS had previously arranged waste collection and it was challenging for the pharmacy to assume responsibility for this.

In addition, Mr Javed was found to have failed to carry out a thorough enough clinical assessment after a child, referred to in the FtP report as Patient A, experienced convulsions and fell, hitting his head following a vaccination.

Mr Javed also failed to refer the case onward or to give the child’s parent a vaccination card detailing the batch that was given.

Mr Javed denied that he had “ignored” the child but accepted that he should have escalated and followed up “more robustly”.

In a reflective statement, Mr Javed said: “Looking back, I can see that I placed too much reliance on informal understandings, trust and verbal arrangements. That was wrong.

“The key lesson I have learned is that leadership in pharmacy is not simply about getting a service running. It is about governance, documentation, escalation, assurance, audit and safe closure. A service that is clinically useful can still be professionally unsafe if the governance framework is weak.”

Mr Javed said he had “reflected carefully on the incident involving Patient A.... I recognise that this was a frightening and distressing incident for Patient A and his mother [and] am genuinely sorry for the distress caused”.

The FtP committee noted his development of insight since the events in question, and his remediation efforts which have included completing CPPE risk management training.

It told him he must inform the GPhC of the details of any work he undertakes as an employee pharmacist and must inform any employers of the conditions on his registration, which will be reviewed after 12 months.