RE Sylvia Hibbs’ complaint about waiting for medication at Southampton General Hospital (Pharmacy too slow for discharged patients”, Letters, April 14) I didn’t realise that was still going on.

Twenty years ago when I was told I could pick my friend up at 9am the following morning, I waited with him until 3pm to pick up his medication.

This happened three times, and on one occasion I noticed the prescription was still lying at the nurses station – so I’m not sure if the pharmacy was to blame, or the person who was supposed to get the prescription to the chemist.

Years before, when my husband was in the hospital, I offered to take the prescription to the pharmacy and get the medication straight away, but when I offered to do this when my friend was in there, was told it wasn’t allowed.

Hospital staff seem unaware that life goes on outside the hospital and we all can’t afford to waste time hanging around doing nothing in hospital.

MRS B ROBINSON, Southampton.