Boots has commented on a temporary disruption to the supply of methadone from one of its East London branches and apologised for a notice to patients that did not inform them of alternative arrangements that were in place.

Kevin Flemen, who describes himself as an independent drugs use specialist, posted an image on Twitter yesterday of a poster he said had been put up in a branch in Hackney addressed to “methadone patients” informing them that “due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to dispense any methadone today”.

The poster attracted criticism from a number of pharmacists, with one tweeting: “What a disgusting notice. Is it real? “Methadone patient” as a name?”

Several individuals raised concerns about the lack of information in the poster and whether patients were helped to access treatment from an alternative pharmacy.

Health and social care charity Turning Point, which supports individuals struggling with substance misuse, said it had spoken to the company to learn more about the situation.

When approached by Pharmacy Network News, a Boots spokesperson confirmed the poster was genuine and said: “On Sunday morning, pharmacy team members at our Hackney Mare Street store were unable to access the secure cabinet where methadone is located.

“As a result, methadone was temporarily unavailable at our Hackney Mare Street store, but the pharmacy team made immediate arrangements to help patients in need of it with support from our nearby Dalston Kingsland store.

“Our Hackney Mare Street store regained access to its methadone supply the following day.

“We appreciate the poster displayed in the store did not provide these details and sincerely apologise.

“We would like to assure our patients and the local community that we had a plan in place to provide continuity of care and do not believe anyone was left without the medicine they need.”