FED up customers have slammed a pharmacy after it closed 'without notice' over the weekend. 

Peak Pharmacy at Prospect View Medical Centre was closed to clients on Saturday, September 7, despite it being scheduled to be open between 9am and 1pm on that day. 

Outraged customers said this wasn't the first time this had happened, but Peak Pharmacy said a national workforce crisis and funding cuts were behind the closure. 

Reports of the closure spread on the Malvern Hills Notice Board Facebook page on Saturday.

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One woman said there was no prior warning and no notice on the door explaining why the pharmacy was closed.

She added while she was there, another woman turned up on a mobility scooter to collect an urgent prescription from the hospital and was unable to collect it. 

Several others said the pharmacy has closed unexpectedly on Saturdays in the recent past. 

One said she had visited the pharmacy only to find it was closed, leading her to change chemists so she could collect her prescriptions on a Saturday. 

A spokesperson for Peak Pharmacy said: "We apologise to any patients adversely affected by this. 

"All efforts were made to avoid this situation as we do not underestimate our obligation to our patients and the community.

"The decision to close a pharmacy is not one that we make lightly and is only taken once all other options have been exhausted as we understand the impact this has on our patients. 

"Due to the current sector-wide challenges, closures do however on occasion unfortunately happen.

"If we are forced to close a pharmacy, a clearly defined procedure is followed so all action is taken to minimise the impact on patients as far as possible, and it is reported to all relevant external agencies including the commissioning NHS organisation."

The spokesperson added since 2015, the community pharmacy sector in England has experienced a 30 per cent funding decrease in real terms during which time operating costs have significantly increased.

Shortages of medicines were given as a reason, as was a national workforce crisis, which the spokesperson said has led to difficulty in recruiting and retaining both Pharmacists and qualified support staff.