"Nursing care excellent, admin/dispensary leaves a..."

What I liked

Writing this on behalf of a relative. The nursing staff (one in particular) was very helpful and made time to explain things to us.

What could be improved

However, following admission (emergency admission due to chest pains), patient was left connected to a heart monitor for 48 hours with absolutely nothing to do, in what was called a ward, but was no more than a cubicle. Patient was not ill enough to sleep all the time, so until I arrived with a few books, magazines etc patient just sat on the bed unable to move. After 48 hours I was advised patient could be discharged once Pharmacy had dispensed the drugs. It then took another 4 hours (patient left sitting doing nothing once again) for the drugs to be handed over, whilst I was waiting for a phone call to collect her.

I cannot understand why it should take 4 hours for drugs to be dispensed. This has to be a complete waste of time and money, and takes up a bed that surely could be better used. Can we not be given the option to collect our own drugs from a local Pharmacy if the hospital Pharmacy is so overworked?

Nursing staff could give me no idea how long the drugs would take to arrive. If we'd been advised at the outset I would have fetched the patient home and returned for the drugs later (if that's allowed, which it should be as dispensing takes such a ridiculous amount of time.