Westbury Chemist -Travel Clinic & Prescriptions - Streatham, Croydon London

Reviews

1. IT b ★☆☆☆☆

   I am leaving this review to raise awareness because no one should feel intimidated, degraded, or verbally mistreated when attending their nominated pharmacy — especially for doing absolutely nothing wrong. I attended this pharmacy on 31 December and again on 1 January to collect my prescription. This is my nominated pharmacy purely because of the opening hours. On the first visit, I also had several Evri parcels to return due to the Christmas period. While I was organising my parcels, a male staff member stood extremely close to me, hovering over me, watching my every movement. This made me uncomfortable and pressured. I politely asked him if he could step back so I could concentrate. His response was to kiss his teeth, tut repeatedly, cut his eyes at me, and display clear irritation. At one point, he snatched a parcel out of my hand without my consent, which was completely inappropriate. He then abruptly said the packaging was “wrong,” without initially explaining why. If this had simply been explained calmly, there would have been no issue. I did not intentionally do anything wrong — I simply didn’t have the information. There is a way to speak to people. Manners and basic customer service go a long way, especially in a pharmacy. I was told my prescription would be ready the next day. On 1 January, I followed all instructions given. I was told prescriptions couldn’t be handled over the phone, so I downloaded the app and messaged at around 2pm. I received no response. I later called and was told it would be ready in five minutes — this was not the case. By around 8pm, still unwell and without my prescription, I attended the pharmacy again. My prescription is for a skin condition, and delays cause significant flare-ups. From the moment I entered, I felt targeted and intimidated. There were multiple male staff members, and I was stared at, spoken to abruptly, with tutting, kissing of teeth, raised voices, and one individual coming very close into my personal space (essentially in my face) while speaking to me. When I initially went to the counter, I was shouted at to use the iPad, which I did immediately. Then, despite following that instruction, I was shouted at again asking, “What is your name?” — despite this being confidential patient information. To make matters worse, I was told I could not stand at the payment counter because it was “confidential,” yet at the same time I was expected to say my name out loud in front of others. This contradiction made no sense and felt deliberately humiliating. When I questioned it calmly, I was treated as though I was the problem. Throughout both visits, it felt like Evri parcels were prioritised over patient care. This is a pharmacy, not a parcel depot. People attend because they are unwell, and there should be a basic level of empathy and professionalism. I was also shouted at, spoken to in a condescending and degrading manner, and when I asked for the name of the staff member who shouted at me, he refused to give it, which is concerning. One staff member did attempt to calm the situation, but it should never have escalated in the first place. I left feeling humiliated, intimidated, and distressed, after travelling in the cold twice and being given conflicting information. I am not someone who is spoken to like this anywhere else. I did not abuse anyone, I did not provoke anyone, and I did nothing wrong. I am raising this review because no one should have to come to their pharmacy and feel abused or intimidated. Based on this experience (and the fact the overall rating reflects similar concerns), I believe staff retraining is urgently needed, particularly around: • communication and de-escalation • patient dignity and respect • NHS values • basic customer service This experience was unacceptable.

   almost 6 months ago
2. Clive Edwards ★★★★★

   Hi… It’s me Clive I would like to sincerely thank manish for his outstanding service at the pharmacy counter on the Christmas holiday .. Despite it being a very busy day and a public holiday. He remained clam, courteous and extremely professional throughout my visit. He was alone on the counter for a while but it took the time to listen carefully , explained everything clearly i had run out of my medicine he show me how you can do emergency or 111 and he helped me a lot.. and handled my request efficiently With a friendly and positive attitude. His dedication a willingness to help truly stood out and made a stressful situation much easier. It is rare to experience such excellent customer service especially on a holiday and manish is real credit to the pharmacy team . Thank you manish for your hard work and commitment.. hope to see you on future manis thank you manish and the westbury team … I will highly recommend this pharmacy and the boy manish .. merry Christmas ❤️❤️❤️❤️

   almost 6 months ago
3. Yashal Usmani ★☆☆☆☆

   Westbury Pharmacy completely failed at the most basic part of their job: helping someone in genuine medical need. My nan had just suffered a mini-stroke and was also battling an infection. Paramedics prescribed urgent antibiotics and even requested that the pharmacy remain open for an extra ten minutes — yet this was apparently too much to ask. We arrived at 00:01, just one minute after closing, to find the pharmacist already walking out. Despite the situation being explained and despite me begging, he flat-out refused to help, refused to redirect the prescription, and showed absolutely no compassion or professionalism. His response was simply that his shift was over and it was time for him to go home. I am beyond disgusted. Disappointed doesn’t even begin to cover it. Pharmacists are meant to support people at their most vulnerable — especially in urgent, potentially life-threatening situations — yet this pharmacy showed zero humanity. The rest of the staff were no better, clearly more concerned with clocking off than spending a few minutes ensuring an elderly woman received essential medication. I will never return to this pharmacy, and I would strongly advise others to think twice about trusting a place that shows such a shocking lack of care, empathy, and responsibility.

   almost 6 months ago

1. J Ahmed ★☆☆☆☆

   Save yourself the time and go to Mayday Pharmacy or anywhere else instead. This chemist has gone downhill significantly. Westbury used to be reliable when you needed a prescription at times other chemists were closed, but now even basic medications like antibiotics often aren’t in stock and have to be ordered in. This is a consistent issue, while nearby pharmacies usually have what you need available immediately. Their private charges are also inconsistent and high, typically ranging from £19.99 to £24.99 depending on the day or time. In comparison, the same services can cost around £9.90 at Boots. Vaccinations are priced at more than double the cost of surrounding pharmacies, and everyday medicines are heavily overpriced — for example, a 16-pack of paracetamol costs £1.99+, while the same product can be bought 3 for £1 at Savers or Poundland. I strongly recommend using other local pharmacies for all your needs. If you need something outside their hours, Mayday Pharmacy is a much better option. They carry substantially more stock, open nearly all day and night and provide a far superior service overall.

   almost 6 months ago
2. Unknown Reviewer ★☆☆☆☆

   A rather disappointing experience at Westbury Chemist – Travel Clinic & Prescriptions. The pharmacy assistant seemed unsure how to handle a straightforward private prescription, and when I asked to speak directly with the pharmacist, I was told he was on lunch. I was also informed that he was not their regular pharmacist, which might explain why no effort was made to review or clarify the prescription. Even after being given clear information about the medication, its name and purpose, a treatment prescribed for a child with a neurological condition requiring consistent dosing, they declined to dispense it, saying they could not interpret the doctor’s handwriting. One would expect that reading a doctor’s prescription is something a qualified pharmacist should be used to. Instead of double-checking or contacting the prescriber, I was advised to try another pharmacy and confidently told that no one else would provide it. Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case. Jackson’s Pharmacy, just nearby, reviewed the same prescription, verified it correctly, and supplied the medication promptly and professionally. The medication costs over £100 per month, and each private consultation is £225, not to mention the additional expense of travelling back to central London again, including congestion charge and parking. What should have been a straightforward process became unnecessarily complicated, inconvenient and stressful. This incident reflected a clear lack of competency in several key areas: professional judgement, communication, accountability, and problem-solving. These are fundamental skills that any pharmacy team should consistently demonstrate to ensure patient safety and proper care.

   almost 8 months ago
3. Dorothea ★★★☆☆

   Westbury chemist has everything you would need a good variety of toiletries, cleaning materials, Medicine, medical advice and support. It's clean and well stocked up. The items are quite pricey compared two other shops and the store is open out of hours up until midnight.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Sarah McK ★☆☆☆☆

   Genuinely feel that the level of mismanagement i experienced at this pharmacy today has the potential to be dangerous. Don’t bother trying to call them. One of a number of issues i had was that I spent an hour on hold being told i was number 2 in the queue. I ended up giving up and travelled over an hour to this pharmacy (result of complicated situation) and they effectively told me they do not answer their phones. They also did not have the prescription in stock and only told us this after we went back to the counter to follow up after they had made us wait for 30 min to collect.

   almost 3 years ago
2. helena holder ★★☆☆☆

   went in and asked to speak to the pharmacist. told he was ‘a bit busy at the moment, can I pass on a message’. Considering it’s a medical concern, no you can’t. Very odd. Unfriendly staff member served me who had no knowledge of what I’d asked for over the counter, hence why I wanted to talk to the pharmacist. I was hoping for a better experience at a chemist that has longer opening hours and you’d think that’s what you’d get. I’d go somewhere else in future.

   almost 3 years ago
3. M ★★★★★

   I went in to collect a prescription and get a flu jab and was offered a free blood pressure check which was great. The service is quick and the staff knowledgable. Angela in particular had excellent people skills and was really helpful with her advice.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Mark Turner ★★★★★

   They are impossible to get hold of on the phone, but always very helpful in store. I went in today and got fantastic service from Angela she gave me a free blood pressure test and administered a Typhoid booster. She was helpful, kind and really professional. Great service.

   almost 3 years ago

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