Fri, 19 Sep 2025

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 'Shocking' pharmacy chain should be shut down - MP

Some Jhoots pharmacies are accused of not paying staff, as patients face closures and low stock.

* Locum pharmacists working at Jhoots Pharmacies, owned by Sarbjit Jhooty, are owed £670,000 in unpaid fees.
* Patients have been left struggling to get prescriptions as Jhoots branches were regularly and unexpectedly closed or had low stock.
* MP Sadik Al Hassan described the situation as "shocking" and said patients were being put at risk due to the pharmacy's unreliability.
* The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) claimed that locum pharmacists operating in a freelance capacity are being left out of pocket, with one former Jhoots worker claiming she was owed several thousand pounds.
* Issues at the pharmacies have also meant staff had to deal with angry customers who were not getting their medication or prescriptions.
* MP Heidi Alexander is promoting a petition calling on Jhoots' bosses to act after a branch in Swindon had been regularly closed.
* The NHS has acknowledged the issues and said they are working to resolve them, but local health service providers have been criticized for allowing Jhoots to continue operating despite its history of poor performance.
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