MP slams Boots for ‘failing’ employee in grip of mental illness

Political Editor HIGH street chain Boots has been accused of failing an employee who suffered from a mental health crisis and took her own life.

MP Kevan Jones said the firm failed to help Durham University graduate Alison Stamps, from Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, who died in 2015 at the age of 33.

Boots insists it takes mental health issues “extremely seriously” and has a series of company-wide measures in place to ensure staff receive support.

Elizabeth Fagan, Managing Director, Boots UK and ROI, said: “At Boots, as a pharmacy-led healthcare organisation, we are committed to doing the very best we can to help our colleagues manage mental health issues.”

Mr Jones criticised the firm as he led a House of Commons debate about the death of Ms Stamps, who had been working at Boots UK’s Tindale store in Bishop Auckland since August 2013.

He told fellow MPs: “Anyone who has looked at the details of this case cannot help but be moved by its tragic nature, and by the failure of Boots to exercise its duty of care at a national level.”

The Labour MP, who represents North Durham, said that Ms Stamps “enjoyed the work but increasingly complained about the long hours and demands it placed upon her”, and spoke to her manager about her feelings. A store manager attempted to help and arranged for her to see a GP, said Mr Jones.

But he criticised the response of Boots UK after the store manager reported concerns about Alison to her area manager.

Mr Jones told MPs: “It appears that all that happened, however, is that the store manager was advised about what counselling was available, but no alarm bells rang in Boots’ central HR department that one of its pharmacists was in crisis situation and no action seems to have been taken. Instead, it was left to the store manager to do her best to assist Alison in her time of crisis.”

He added: “This was a young woman not only holding down a responsible job dispensing medicines but who was clearly in a severe mental health crisis.”

Mr Jones said that he had spoken to representatives of the Pharmacy Defence Association, who warned that there are increasing demands on pharmacists, not only in terms of workload but as a result of staff cuts.

Ms Fagan told the Chronicle: “We have had a number of company-wide measures and initiatives in place for some years, and more recently have continued adding to them, some of which have been implemented since the tragic loss of Alison.

“These include greater mental health awareness training and the availability of face to face counselling from an independent organisation.”