‘Wonderful and fantastic’ staff at the East Cowes Jhoots Pharmacy have not been paid in 3 months, an Isle of Wight councillor has highlighted.
Independent East Cowes representative Karl Love voiced disquiet over several Jhoots pharmacy closures at the adult social care, public health and housing needs committee last Thursday (30th October).
A committee paper issued prior to the forum said Island pharmacy services have recently undergone ‘serious challenges’ and underlined ‘unexpected closures’ of a number of Jhoots branches.
It said short-notice closures have left many residents ‘unable to access essential medications’, resulting in ‘distress and inconvenience’.
Cllr Love told the council chamber:
“I’m directly impacted by the closure of the East Cowes shop which has not been open for some time now. Thank you so much to the wonderful and fantastic staff, not to Jhoots…that tried to keep that going who have not been paid for three months.
“And they showed a level of integrity which goes above and beyond in trying to keep that service going.”
He expressed concern over losing the Pharmacy First service, a “frontline port of call at the time of illness”.
The Pharmacy First scheme allows pharmacies to treat several common conditions with prescription-only medicines without patients visiting a GP.
“That service is now lost”, he added, “so that is a reduction in our frontline service for the Island”.
Cllr Love also raised a “significant impact on public health” from residents not accessing prescriptions and pharmacy services, said the delivery of health checks, sexual health and home screening services was “now lost” and pointed to the “stress” put on other pharmacies from the Jhoots closures.
“What are we doing to resolve that? They’re (Jhoots) being paid for these services. I’m assuming that you’re going to recover the services. These are significant contracts issued by the NHS to pharmacy services.”
James Roach, director of primary care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said statements had already been issued locally “in terms of where people can access alternative services”.
“Our GPs in the area have been really helpful in terms of redirecting patients as well. So, we’ll continue to give that message to patients in terms of service continuity and where services are provided.”
Jhoots has been contacted for a comment.
If you ‘Google’ Jhoots you will find that their problems are not just on the IOW but all over the country, staff not being paid, pharmacies being closed and even apparently selling off or remortgaing properties to pay staff wages and they are also under investigation by the NHS so not good. And 10 out of 10 for the efforts put in by the staff at East Cowes branch for their dedication to the local community.
Totally agree that Jhoots are a complete shambles and that their staff have been extremely badly treated by them. They are lovely people who served us under Lloyd and Jhoots and deserve more than this shabby treatment.
At the same time, a big thank you to Regent Pharmacy who have stepped up and dealt with the extra stresses that have been placed on them by the large, extra loads placed on them.