A Monmouth pharmacist and business owner has been suspended from practice for three months following a misconduct hearing by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Daniel Rhys Rosser, who operates D R Rosser Ltd on Church Street, Monmouth, was found to have impaired fitness to practise after a panel heard evidence concerning his admitted historic drug use and alleged inappropriate behaviour towards a junior colleague.

The hearing, which took place via remote videolink, examined a series of allegations dating from 2022 to 2023. While several claims were denied and not proven, the committee upheld three key facts—two of which were admitted by Mr Rosser himself.

Mr Rosser admitted during the hearing that he misled a GPhC inspector in February 2023 by denying past illicit drug use.

In a written reflective statement, he claimed he never worked under the influence and acknowledged the reputational damage his drug use posed to the profession.

The GPhC committee concluded that his conduct amounted to misconduct and ruled that his fitness to practise was currently impaired. Mr Rosser has been suspended from working as a pharmacist since the allegations were made in 2023.

As a result, he was issued with an additional three-month suspension from the register.

However, the suspension will not take effect until June 5, 2025—unless an appeal is filed. An interim suspension has been imposed and takes effect immediately.

The panel also heard from a former staff member, referred to as Colleague A - a former trainee dispenser and counter assistant at the pharmacy - who described a toxic work environment in which Mr Rosser allegedly belittled her, shouted at her in front of customers, and pressured her into unsafe tasks.

While Mr Rosser denied all such allegations—asserting they were fabricated following her dismissal for poor performance—the committee ultimately found insufficient evidence to prove these claims and did not uphold those parts of the case.

Mr Rosser maintained that the complainant had engaged in an online campaign against him post-dismissal, prompting legal action to remove defamatory posts.

The Fitness to Practise Committee, chaired by Neville Sorab, noted the importance of maintaining public trust in the pharmacy profession.

“The committee considered that a short-term suspension would mark the seriousness of the misconduct,” the determination read.

As of now, the pharmacy’s operations remain under review pending the final outcome of the disciplinary process and any appeal that may be lodged.

Mr Rosser confirmed to the Beacon that he was suspended from being a pharmacist for taking recreational drugs outside of work hours but the accusations of being intoxicated while in work and of bullying a disgruntled ex-employee who was dismissed for inability to do their job were thrown out and not proved at the hearing.

He went on to say: “I now see that due to my profession, taking any recreational drugs outside of working hours is wrong as it may bring my profession into disrepute and cause concern amongst customers for their standard of care. As proved at the hearing, customer safety has always been maintained as I never worked as a pharmacist whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.

“For the past two years I have not been working as a pharmacist in either of my pharmacies. I have been managing my Bristol pharmacy whilst my Monmouth pharmacy has an excellent pharmacist Rachael at the helm. Both my pharmacy teams have been supportive throughout these difficult months and continue to provide wonderful pharmacy care and services.”