"Pharmacy waiting times unacceptable"

After a consultation a doctor handed me a prescription for the hospital pharmacy only. The pharmacy is conveniently located near the entrance/exit of the hospital. I left my prescription (for two fairly standard items), got a number, and staff suggested I had waited in the coffee shop. The pharmacy had no waiting area to speak of.

In the coffee shop there a screen set up showing the orders at the pharmacy. After waiting for about 20-30 minutes and seeing very little progress, I decided to inquire. I was told the order are dealt with in order of arrival and I simply had to wait. Seeing how many orders had been completed and how many before mine were still being processed, I realised I did not have time to wait, and had to leave without my medication.

Going to this pharmacy only serves to waste your time and seems to be designed to give business to the coffee shop is unacceptable. I have never waited longer than 15 minutes at other pharmacies, and only for complicated and long prescriptions.This waiting time in ridiculous; it is the pharmacist's responsibility provide an appropriate level of service, even if they have a monopoly to the prescriptions issued by the doctors in the hospital.

I suggest to avoid this pharmacy like the plague and ask the doctor for a prescription, which you can issue at any pharmacy. Or go to your GP and then another pharmacy, even that will be quicker than waiting here.