Portishead Medical Group (PMG), operators of the Victoria Square surgery in Somerset, have formally instructed Jhoots Pharmacy to vacate their premises adjacent to the GP practice by the end of September. This decision follows a series of ongoing issues, chiefly the continuous lack of a qualified pharmacist on site, which has significantly affected patient care and added extra strain on medical staff.
Since taking over from Lloyds Pharmacy in 2023, Jhoots Pharmacy has struggled to maintain consistent service standards. PMG has reported frequent absences of pharmacists holding the necessary NHS smart card, recurring medication shortages, and increasing instances of unexpected closures. These problems have led to patient dissatisfaction and considerable duplicate prescription requests, burdening the GP practice with additional workload.
The situation has attracted public attention, with North Somerset MP Sadik Al Hassan—who is also a former pharmacist—calling for the closure of Jhoots pharmacies due to similar issues nationwide. In a letter to patients, PMG emphasized their commitment to ensuring high-quality pharmacy services and acknowledged the difficulty of the decision to terminate Jhoots’ lease. The group plans to find a new pharmacy provider capable of delivering not only basic prescription fulfillment but also extended services like the Pharmacy First program.
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To ease the transition, patients with existing prescriptions at Jhoots Victoria Square or Jhoots Waitrose will have their prescriptions redirected to the NHS spine, allowing them to collect medications from any pharmacy across England. Locally, the West Hill Pharmacy remains available to serve Portishead residents, alongside online pharmacy options.
MP Sadik Al Hassan expressed strong support for PMG’s move, highlighting that Jhoots' mismanagement and financial irresponsibility have compromised patient safety. Meanwhile, Sarbjit Jhooty, manager of the Portishead branch, acknowledged long-standing recruitment and workforce challenges faced by the pharmacy.
PMG has urged patients to refrain from contacting the practice unless necessary to maintain efficient care during this transition period, reaffirming their priority on patient well-being and service quality.