The PDA continues to monitor the situation regarding Jhoots pharmacies, and is providing another update to members, providing support and continuing to engage with government and the regulator on the situation. Readers are encouraged to also read the previous update published on 3 December (linked below).
Need for better communication and information
The PDA has already raised concerns with the regulator regarding some of the information of the GPhC website about pharmacy ownership. The PDA can confirm that the branches owned by Jhoots Healthcare limited and Pasab limited currently still use the jhootspharmacy.co.uk website, though they have been renamed as JHL pharmacies and this is updated on the GPhC register.
Many of the other companies which had separately operated branches under the Jhoots brand have entered administration, although at time of writing the GPhC register says those businesses still own around one hundred branches despite many of those branches being simultaneously listed on Allied Pharmacies website.
The PDA understand that the GPhC cannot update their register until they receive confirmation that changes of ownership have been completed. However, public statements widely reported in the media claimed that ownership of many of these pharmacies changed months ago. This contradictory information creates uncertainty as to who currently owns a pharmacy.
Accurate information is essential, not just for pharmacists and others pursuing unpaid fees or wages, but also for patients and the public to know who is legally responsible and the details of the Superintendent. While the PDA is highlighting this to inform members, that should not be necessary and, given the scale of the situation it is disappointing that neither the regulator, NHS or Government have taken the proactive extra steps to keep pharmacists and the public better informed.
Locum debts
Locum members continue to pursue debts and contradictory information mentioned above can add extra difficulty in tracking down who exactly is responsible in an already complex structure of businesses.
One locum pharmacist who was eventually paid their fees told the PDA that they had been contracted by one company to work in a branch owned by a second company and the payment received came from yet another company. Another member said they were advised well before Christmas that certain companies were insolvent, when in fact this has only occurred in January. A third member was told to pursue the debt from a now insolvent company, when in fact at the time they worked at the pharmacy it was owned by a different Jhoots company which is still trading.
Outstanding locum fees will be due from the owners or administrators of businesses that contracted those pharmacists, not from the branches, so while a branch may enter new ownership that does not typically mean responsibility for paying the debt has transferred. PDA’s update in December included details for Turpin Barker Armstrong who were appointed for previous insolvencies and we can also confirm that the administrators for those Jhoots businesses declared insolvent in January appear to be:
FRP Advisory Trading Limited, 2nd Floor, 110 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 6EU
Administrator names: Ian Corfield and Rajnesh Mittal
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 3005 4000.
If businesses have sold branches then that should have increased their assets, which an Administrator will distribute, which further reinforces why accurate and up to date information is a necessity. Locum members should continue to follow guidance provided by the PDA Support Centre, shared at the PDA webinar on this topic and as detailed in the previous member update.
The overall Jhoots crisis should also act as a warning to locums to ensure they have a clear written contract confirming who is responsible for paying them, as well as declining to sign contracts which includes measures that make it difficult to cancel further shifts if fees have not been paid on time for earlier work. The PDA will be issuing more guidance for locum members on these aspects during 2026.
Employment contracts
If previous businesses closed their branches and stopped trading, employed pharmacists may have been due redundancy payments, whereas if former Jhoots branches have been acquired by new owners complete with the employed team in place then individuals may have their contracts protected by the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Employment) regulations.
PDA members who have either been made redundant or transferred to a new employer can contact the PDA Support Centre if they have any queries or concerns. The PDA highlights that where TUPE protection is in place individual’s contracts should generally have remained the same and employees should maintain their length of service. Any query as to whether TUPE applies where an individual’s employment has transferred to a new employer, and an individual’s rights in that situation, can also be discussed via the PDA Support Centre.
The consequences of the Jhoots’ crisis continues to impact pharmacists, and the PDA will continue to provide appropriate support, while calling on the regulator, NHS and government to also take appropriate actions.
Learn more
- PDA Jhoots update – December 2025
- ACAS
- Creditor Support
- Claim money back from a bankrupt person or company in compulsory liquidation: detailed guidance for creditors
- Government commits to tackle bad business behaviours
- Watch the parliamentary debate about Jhoots here
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