Enter and view: Rowlands Pharmacy, New Cross Hospital

Healthwatch Wolverhampton undertook an announced enter and view visit to Rowlands Pharmacy at New Cross Hospital on 23 October 2025. They had heard from the public that there are issues around inconvenient opening times, parking charges and people having to make a second journey to collect medications.  They spoke to 58 people.

• People felt the Pharmacy was difficult to find, signs had the brand name or the old one and didn’t clearly state “pharmacy”. Most people had to ask someone at least once for directions (over time this takes many staff hours).
• People felt there wasn’t enough seating and it was a long time to stand, or the seating was too far away from the counter where their number was called.
• People said that they found it hard to listen out for their number to be called and would like a visual prompt alongside it being called out. This also benefits those who are hard of hearing or deaf.
• Healthwatch understands the pharmacy is not responsible for parking charges. However, it became an issue when people were discharged at a time when the pharmacy wasn’t open and they had to come back to collect their prescription and incurred further charges.
• Patients fed back that the website shows a different time to actual opening times. In trying to confirm this Healthwatch rang the pharmacy 19 times over different days and times. The line was always busy.
• On collecting their prescriptions, most people had their medication explained to them.
• Staff were friendly and polite.
• Overall, most people were happy with the waiting times and understood that it is a busy pharmacy in a big hospital.