Shocking pharmacy chain should be shut down, MP says as unpaid wages and closures stain Jhoots network
MPs and a union allege financial mismanagement at Jhoots Pharmacy; staff unpaid and services disrupted as NHS regulators review contracts and access to medicines.
A UK pharmacy network operating under the Jhoots brand is under sharp scrutiny after allegations of financial mismanagement and unreliable contract performance. Across the country, about 150 Jhoots pharmacies operate under various management structures, with 129 run by a single operator, Sarbjit Jhooty. The Pharmacists Defence Association says staff at Jhoots locations are owed roughly £670,000 in unpaid wages, with locum workers bearing much of the arrears. The revelations come as customers report frequent closures, empty shelves, and delayed or missing prescriptions in multiple towns.
The allegations are paired with reports of regular branch closures and stock problems that patients say compromise safety and access to medicines. In Fishponds, Bristol, a Jhoots branch was shut or operating with insufficient pharmacists; in Williton, Somerset, a display outside a closed branch announced that no pharmacist was on duty. Residents described weeks of closure and difficulty obtaining prescriptions. In Portishead, a branch shuttered before a bank holiday and has not reopened, according to local witnesses. The situation has drawn calls from local MPs to address the disruption; Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander has initiated a petition urging the chain’s management to restore reliable service and to resolve staffing and stock issues. Nurses and other health workers in the area have warned that repeated closures create unsafe conditions when patients cannot access their medications.
Across the UK there are 153 Jhoots pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, and all are owned at least in part by either Sarbjit or Manjit Jhooty. Manjit, who owns more than 20 Jhoots branches through his entities Pasab and Jhoots Healthcare, says the trading name Jhoots is used by several independent companies that each have their own management structures and procedures. He maintains that his branches remain fully functional and continue to deliver services. Sarbjit, by contrast, says Jhoots Pharmacy operates as an independent entity and acknowledges that issues have occurred at his pharmacies. He blames workforce and recruitment challenges that he says have affected the South West for years and says he is actively engaging with staff, local partners, and wider stakeholders to stabilize operations and protect patient care in the long term. He did not respond to requests for comment on unpaid wages.
The involvement of the National Health Service adds a regulatory layer to the crisis. NHS England has directed local integrated care boards in the South West to manage pharmaceutical contracts and to ensure patients have access to alternate provisions when a branch is closed. NHS spokespeople for North Somerset, Somerset, and Swindon noted they recognize the disruption and are committed to maintaining access to medicines, adding they can take formal action against contractors that breach contracts where necessary. In practice, that could involve suspending or reassigning NHS contracts to ensure continuity of care as authorities assess the scale and causes of the disruption.
The political dimension is underscored by ongoing scrutiny from MPs in affected constituencies. Mr. Sadik Al Hassan, the MP for the area, has said the situation is unacceptable and plans to meet Jhoots leadership later this month. He has urged NHS bodies to take a closer look at the operator and, if warranted, to surrender its NHS contracts in his constituency. He also tied the expansion of Jhoots in 2023—when the network bought around 40 additional pharmacies—to concerns about contract compliance and service reliability, warning that weak contract governance risks the reputation of the broader pharmacy sector.
The unfolding case highlights tensions between rapid portfolio expansion by a pharmacy operator and the regulatory framework designed to safeguard patient access and staff rights. NHS England and local care boards say they will act to protect patient access, including stepping in with alternative providers where necessary, while continuing to monitor contract compliance. Trade groups and local communities are calling for stronger oversight of chain operators that acquire and integrate multiple branches, especially when a single operator uses a network of independently run sites.
Observers say the dispute exposes practical challenges in a market where staffing, wage arrears, and stock management directly affect patient care. Locum workers, who provide temporary coverage across branches, have been particularly affected by unpaid wages, compounding the stress on branches already grappling with recruitment and retention. In addition to the human impact on workers and patients, the case raises questions about how well contract terms are enforced when a network comprises several legally separate entities under a common brand but with distinct management structures. Regulators and policymakers say patient safety and service continuity will remain the top priority as the situation develops, and they emphasize that patients should not face gaps in essential medicines while investigations continue.