Pharmacy company takes over 60 Jhoots branches

Allied Pharmacies has taken over 60 former Jhoots branches

Dozens of pharmacies which had been repeatedly and unexpectedly closed have been taken over by a different firm.

There were calls for some Jhoots pharmacies to lose their NHS rights and be shut down amid claims its locum workers were owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid wages.

The affected branches also faced allegations of operational failures including a failure to maintain stock levels, a lack of pharmacists, and lengthy and unannounced closures.

Allied Pharmacies, which has taken over 60 Jhoots stores across the UK, has said it is committed to "reinstating essential pharmacy services".

Before the Allied takeover, there were 153 Jhoots pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Manjit Jhooty, who is responsible for 24 Jhoots pharmacies through his companies, said previously the trading name Jhoots was used by several, independent companies and that his branches remained "fully functional".

Sarbjit Jhooty - Manjit's brother - was responsible for the remaining 129 branches via companies he owns alongside his business partner Nilam Patel.

The 60 branches taken over by Allied Pharmacies - which includes stores in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Devon - were all previously run by Sarbjit and Ms Patel.

Neither Sarbjit or Ms Patel responded to the BBC's request for comment on the takeover, however Sarbjit previously admitted there had been issues at his pharmacies.

He blamed "workforce and recruitment challenges" which he said had been a problem "for many years".

The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) union has said its locum members are owed a combined total of more than £1m by some of the companies operating Jhoots pharmacies.

Sarbjit Jhooty is yet to respond to the BBC's request for comment on unpaid wages.

Allied has said it will address outstanding salary arrears of employed staff. Locum staff have been asked to contact the liquidators, Turpin Barker Armstrong, handling these 60 branches.

The PDA's director Paul Day said: "We call upon all those involved to be transparent about who is now liable and to proactively clear their debts as soon as possible."

MPs Sadik Al-Hassan and Edward Morello raised questions about Jhoots at Prime Minister's Questions

In October, the government warned some Jhoots pharmacies could lose the right to dispense NHS prescriptions following complaints.

Health and Social Care Minister Stephen Kinnock told the House of Commons services at Jhoots pharmacies were "falling well below the mark".

It came after West Dorset MP Edward Morello and North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan raised concerns about Jhoots following issues in their constituencies.

Speaking after the Allied takeover was announced, Mr Al-Hassan said the NHS should now "take a look under the hood" and learn lessons in contract management.

"This is dealing with public funds," he said. "This is taxpayers' money going into these organisations, and we need to make sure that that is actually protected in the same way we do in other contracts for defence.

"We need to make sure that taxpayers' interests are being preserved."

A Jhoots branch in Fishponds, Bristol, was closed with bosses saying a lack of pharmacists was the reason

NHS England directed the BBC to the Department of Health and Social Care to respond to Mr Al-Hassan's comments.

A spokesperson for the department said the strengthening of pharmacy regulations is under review, adding that the General Pharmaceutical Council and integrated care boards will "take action" where pharmacies fall below expected standards.

Allied Pharmacies said the takeover highlighted the "broader challenges facing the community pharmacy sector".

"While a variety of factors may have contributed to the difficulties at Jhoots Pharmacies, systemic underfunding for almost a decade has placed immense strain on many operators," a spokesperson said.

"We recognise the fundamental role that community pharmacies play in supporting public health and wellbeing and understand the disruption caused by these closures, particularly for vulnerable groups who depend on local access to vital healthcare services.

"Our immediate priority is to resume pharmaceutical services as soon as possible for these sites."

They Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson described community pharmacies as being "at the heart" of local healthcare and said an additional £617m was being provided to community pharmacies in England.