Pharmacy opens to relieve pressure in healthcare

A new pharmacy has opened in a town to relieve pressure in healthcare after two premises closed last year.

Allied Pharmacies opened on Monday in Wellington, Somerset, in the former Jhoots outlet in Mantle Street.

The firm has taken over 60 Jhoots stores across the UK, including in Wellington where it closed last year, while Boots pharmacy in the town's medical centre shut in 2024.

Roger Tozer, who set up the Wellington Pharmacy Action Group, told BBC Radio Somerset a fifth pharmacy will also be needed to cope with local demand.

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

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

Sarbjit previously admitted to the BBC there had been issues at his pharmacies, blaming "workforce and recruitment challenges" which he said had been a problem "for many years".

His brother, Manjit Jhooty, said he rebranded the company to JHL Pharmacy after the "actions of other operators" caused "significant and irreparable damage to the brand name".

JHL Pharmacy has been approached for comment.

The Boots pharmacy closed as part of a nationwide plan to shut 300 stores.

The opening of the Allied Pharmacies branch in Wellington, which has a population of more than 16,500 people, has three pharmacies again.

Last week NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB), which commissions pharmacies in Somerset, was given permission to open a fourth pharmacy in the town at Westpark 26 in Chelston.

Tozer said: "It's great news for Wellington, we've been looking at this for quite some time now.

"The residents are really pleased they won't have to queue quite so much as they've been doing.

"But more importantly the staff at the two pharmacies have been so overworked.

"It would be good news completely. The problem is [that] with the maths we've been doing, a fifth one is going to be needed soon."

Jasmine Butcher, operations director at Allied Pharmacies, said: "The pharmacies which have been open have done a fantastic job giving the patients what they need, but hopefully this is going to relieve a bit of pressure so us and the existing pharmacies can give 100% to the patients."

Taunton and Wellington MP Gideon Amos previously said: "Wellington has been without adequate pharmacy provision since both Jhoots and Boots at the medical centre closed their doors."

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