Speaking in the House of Commons, James Wild MP has urged the Care Minister to take action to recover unpaid wages for staff at Jhoots Pharmacy in South Wootton and take action against individual directors.
James challenged Care Minister, Stephen Kinnock MP, over the months-long crisis at the pharmacy chain that has left pharmacy staff without pay, patients without medication, and the local community without answers.
Staff at the Jhoots branch in South Wootton went months without wages while patients have been unable to access essential medication due to a lack of stock. The pharmacist was forced to leave after non-payment. When James raised the issue with Jhoots management the company simply refused to respond.
Having been contacted by affected constituents, James raised the issue in Parliament and pressed the Minister on what urgent steps the government is taking to work with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to ensure staff receive the money they are owed and that commissioned pharmacy services are delivered. He also challenged the Minister on whether action against the individual directors responsible for the widespread failures would be ruled out.
The General Pharmaceutical Council has taken enforcement action across five separate Jhoots premises since January 2025, with investigations ongoing. Jhoots operates over 150 pharmacies across England.
Speaking in the House of Commons, James Wild MP said:
"Staff and patients at Jhoots Pharmacy in South Wootton in North West Norfolk have been let down, going months without pay or stock, and with no communication from management. The pharmacist left after non-payment. When I raised those issues with the company, it simply refused to respond.
The Minister has referred to future regulatory changes, but given that the pattern is repeated across the country, what urgent steps is he taking to work with ICBs collectively to ensure that staff get the money they are owed and that commissioned services are delivered? Will he not rule out taking action against individual directors?"
In response, Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, said:
"As I said, we are in constant dialogue with ICBs and the GPhC. I absolutely get it: we need to speed it up as it needs to be faster and more urgent. I am clear about that, and we are taking this forward as a matter of priority.
In terms of taking action against individual directors, nothing is off the table. As I said, the regulatory framework as things stand does not facilitate that, so we have got to look at other options. But there are views in the GPhC that suggest there may be some ways of looking at interpreting regulations and legislation that could facilitate more immediate action. That is on the menu of actions that we are looking at."
Commenting after the exchange, James said:
"This situation has had a serious impact on both staff and patients in South Wootton. People have gone without wages and others have been unable to access essential medication. That is simply unacceptable and has caused considerable difficulty for my constituents who depend on these important local services.
I welcome the Minister's recognition of the urgency of this issue and his commitment to treating it as a priority, including consideration of action against company directors"
