Extremism and Radicalisation

Extremism and radicalisation are safeguarding concerns when an adult is at risk of being drawn into harmful extremist ideas, groups or activity.

In clinical pharmacy practice you should not investigate beliefs, argue about ideology, or make assumptions based on religion, ethnicity, politics or appearance. Your role is to recognise signs of vulnerability, behaviour change or exploitation and to follow the correct safeguarding process.

In the UK, Prevent is the safeguarding programme aimed at stopping people being drawn into terrorism or extremist violence. In healthcare, Prevent is part of safeguarding practice and is not about monitoring lawful beliefs or singling out communities. The emphasis is on vulnerability, harmful influence and the risk of serious harm.

People may become vulnerable to radicalisation for many reasons, including:

• isolation
• grievance
• trauma
• mental ill-health
• exploitation
• dependency
• a need to belong

This is treated as a safeguarding issue because these factors can increase the risk that someone will be exploited or encouraged to harm themselves or others. Level 3 clinicians should be alert to worrying patterns, especially where behaviour, language, relationships or engagement with care change markedly.

How This May Present in Practice

Signs in clinical settings are often indirect. A patient may withdraw, become unusually hostile, or fall under the influence of one controlling person or group. They may express rigid "us and them" thinking, endorse violence, or show a marked change in language or behaviour alongside other vulnerabilities. The priority is not labelling the person but recognising whether changes suggest risk of harm, exploitation or unsafe influence.

The safest response is to focus on vulnerability, behavioural change, and risk of harm, not on stereotyping or trying to judge beliefs for yourself.