General Pharmaceutical Council
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has taken enforcement action across five separate pharmacy premises owned by Jhoots since January 2025, it has told The Pharmaceutical Journal.
On 11 September 2025, a spokesperson for the GPhC said: “There are currently over 140 pharmacies owned by Jhoots on the pharmacy register. Since January 2025, we have taken enforcement action across five separate premises owned by Jhoots.”
This enforcement action follows concerns that have been raised about unexpected closures and “poor service” at Jhoots branches in recent weeks, with concerns being escalated to NHS England.
Investigations are also ongoing relating to pharmacy professionals working for Jhoots, the GPhC confirmed.
In a LinkedIn post on 10 September 2025, Sadik Al-Hassan, pharmacist and Labour MP for Somerset North, said that he had “raised with NHS England the idea of removing [Jhoots’] pharmacy contract”.
Al-Hassan added that he has also launched an online survey for constituents to share their experience of Jhoots.
“I was extremely disappointed to hear that a Jhoots Pharmacy in Portishead Waitrose has closed unexpectedly and without warning.”
“As a pharmacist of 20 years, I am acutely aware of the responsibilities we have to our patients and just how dangerous mismanagement can be,” Al-Hassan said.
“I would like to assure all of their patients that I will be speaking to their CEO to ask how they managed to find themselves in this position and have raised with NHS England the idea of removing their pharmacy contract.”
Ian Roome, Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, told The Pharmaceutical Journal that he had been “very concerned” to hear from his constituents that their local Jhoots pharmacy “is either closed unexpectedly or simply does not have stocks of essential medications when they go to collect a prescription”.
“Jhoots have been prepared to communicate directly with me, and I appreciate that, however patients need this service to be reliable.”
“Pharmacies across the UK are feeling the squeeze, but North Devon has many remote coastal communities who cannot easily reach an alternative pharmacy. In some cases, they are heavily reliant on a single private provider,” he added.
“My biggest fear is that any gathering storm for pharmacies will, sooner or later, wash up on the NHS.”
According to the Swindon Advertiser, more than 200 people have signed a petition “to demand urgent improvements” to the Jhoots’ pharmacies at Shaw Village Centre in Swindon, following “poor service”, as well as “unexpected closures, no pharmacists, empty shelves, medicines unavailable”.
Local councillors Rose Llewellyn and Fay Howard, along with Heidi Alexander, Labour MP for Swindon South and Secretary of State for Transport, have also written to the pharmacy with concerns, the Swindon Advertiser reported.
Sarbjit Singh Jhooty, acquisitions director at Jhoots, told The Pharmaceutical Journal that the company had reached out directly to the MPs who had raised concerns and was “actively engaging with them to address the issues they mentioned”.
“Our HR department is diligently working on these matters and is in the process of contacting the affected staff to resolve any outstanding concerns,” he said.
He added that “many of the issues have already been resolved”, while the company was “committed to ensuring that all remaining matters will be addressed promptly”.
NHS England has been approached for comment.
