NHS TAYSIDE last night apologised to the family of a 77-year-old Fife heart patient who had to wait three hours in Ninewells Hospital for new medication after being discharged.

Maggie Simpson, director of nursing, said she was sorry the family were upset but stated, “There are times when patients have to wait for the medicines they need.”

She was speaking after The Courier was contacted by a Fife man whose wife was a patient in three separate wards over a period of two days.

He said his wife had become stressed at having to wait so long for her medication in the ward day room and suggested the lines of delivery between the pharmacy and the many wards could be speeded up.

“Neither my wife nor I have any complaint about the medical side of her visit,” he said.

“However, we were certainly not impressed in the slightest with the matter of new medication, which she had to have before she left.

“Feeling nervous enough at having had to undergo a series of tests and having had little sleep over the two nights she was in hospital, she was relieved to be told she would be discharged at 2.30pm.

“Then came the question of medication she needed before leaving. It consisted of two changes of pills and over three hours later she was still waiting for them.

“Having had to leave her hospital bed, she then had to endure sitting about for a whole afternoon tired and stressed and wondering when she was going to leave for home—some 20 miles away.

“No blame to the nurses or the staff on the ward who did try to find where the new pills were; surely management, though, should see there is a major flaw in the situation and take steps to eliminate it.

“Is the pharmacy too small to cope or does the system for delivering medication require a complete overhaul?”

“I’m sorry this family were upset that they had to wait for new medication,” said Maggie Simpson.

“When a patient is ready to go home we try to make sure they get any medication they need as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, however, there are times when patients have to wait for the medicines they need and if this is the case we try to make them as comfortable as possible in the ward day room.”