Leyland pharmacy offer domestic violence support

The late night pharmacy, on Hough Lane, is providing a room where visitors can use a phone to call domestic violence helpline numbers confidentially.

Rizwan Akhtar has owned the pharmacy for almost 10 years and says it is important to follow the national initiative welcomed by Boots pharmacies across the country.

“It has been well documented that domestic violence services have seen an increase in their number of cases, and Leyland won’t be an exception to that,” said Rizwan.

“Many people see our pharmacy as a community hub so we felt it was important to provide a safe space for victims to be able to communicate and use our phone in confidence.”

The news comes after Boots announced that they would be offering a similar service at each of their 2,400 pharmacies.

Since the beginning of lockdown, MPs have revealed that calls to the National Domestic Abuse Hotline had risen by 49%, with the Home Office announcing they would be increasing funding for helpline services.

Domestic violence services such as the PDVS, Lancashire Victim Support and SafeNet, aim to provide advice and support for victims across Preston and Lancashire.

Local organisation the Preston Domestic Advice Service (PDVS) revealed they had received 667 calls between the 2019 and 2020 financial year, with 124 victims using their initial advice service.

“Pharmacies aren’t obliged to provide this service, it is completely voluntary. We felt like it was really important,” said Rizwan.

“Victims who visit us will have access to different helpline numbers to seek the help they need. There are different tiers of help available as everyone’s situation is different.”