A letter allegedly written by a Yorkshire-based law firm has been sent to community pharmacies falsely claiming that they face investigation if they do not stop providing Covid vaccines, prompting pharmacy teams to report the firm to the police. 

The letter, which appears to come from Broad Yorkshire Law, a “virtual law firm” that specialises in personal injury and family cases, was recently sent to vaccination centres, doctors and other providers “administering or causing to be administered SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations”.

Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said “a lot of pharmacies” in Yorkshire offering a Covid vaccination service had received the “threatening letter,” adding that pharmacy teams “have reported this to the police”.

The letter demands that vaccine providers write to agencies such as the NHS or Care Quality Commission “and inform them that the vaccination programme you are involved in must be cancelled and the reason for the cancellation is that the SARS-CoV-2 injections are under police investigation”.

It warns providers: “Should you fail to write to them and assist in the cancellation of the immunisation sessions you will render yourself liable for any losses sustained as a result of the visit and liability could include criminal liability.”

This reference to a “police investigation” is a false claim concerning allegations relating to the vaccine that were brought to the Metropolitan Police but then thrown out after it found there was “nothing to indicate” any crime.

Ms Hannbeck told Pharmacy Network News: “This is yet another example of the sort of abuse and nastiness that pharmacies are having to endure when they are trying to deliver a great service.

“Coming from a law firm, this is taking advantage of some sort of authority to try and scare people and cause anxiety for our teams.”

The letter also appears to have been sent to a number of schools to intimidate them into cancelling vaccination sessions. 

A spokesperson for the Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed that Broad Yorkshire Law is regulated by the SRA and said: “We have received reports of potential misconduct, so are aware of this situation.

“We are gathering all relevant information before deciding on any next steps.” 

PNN has asked Broad Yorkshire Law to confirm whether the letter is genuine, but has not received a response by time of publication.