CHEMISTS in Malvern are closing the door on out-of-hours opening from the end of March.

The change means a duty chemist will no longer be open from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on weekdays and 1pm to 2pm on Sundays.

South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust say it made the change after reviewing opening hours and looking at different ways of providing for patients needs.

Max Falconer, of Claremont House Pharmacy in Malvern, said he was appalled the PCT would not pay him £140.80 for the week he is on rota duty. He will not offer the service if he is not paid.

He said: "From our point of view it's a piffling amount of money and we still make a loss when we open out of hours, but we've always done it as a service. From a financial point of view, we probably would be better off, but obviously we're concerned about the patients."

Mr Falconer said Sundays, the day when no duty chemist will be open, were the busiest of all rota days, and on week nights he often receives calls from Malvern Health Centre asking him to stay open after 6.30pm. He is concerned patients collecting emergency prescriptions will now face travelling to Worcester supermarkets with in-store pharmacies, or going without their medication until normal opening hours resume.

Mr Falconer said the GP out-of-hours service would be unable to carry anything like the full range of medication on offer in a pharmacy.

Tim Davies, the PCT's director of public health, said two Malvern pharmacies were open until 6pm - Lloyds Pharmacy in Barnards Green and Victoria Pharmacy in Malvern Link. Barnards Chemist, in Barnards Green, is open until 5.45pm. He said the GP out-of-hours service was consulted about the proposals and supported the decision, as it only issued prescriptions during regular opening hours.

When pharmacies are closed, patients who need immediate treatment are prescribed a complete pack of medication from the out-of-hours centre.

The PCT also has an urgent dispensing service so the out-of-hours service can contact duty pharmacists to come out and dispense urgent items.

It says it will direct pharmacies to open, if necessary, on bank holidays but has decided it is not necessary for pharmacies to open over the Easter weekend, Spring Bank Holiday or August Bank Holiday.

The changes do not affect Moss Pharmacy, in Upton, which is not on the rota and opens 9am to 6.30pm daily, except Thursday (9am to 1pm) and Saturday (9am to 5.30pm).