18 July 2016
Help reduce medicine waste and save NHS money
People in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are being urged not to waste their medication – which costs the local NHS up to £3million a year.
Finances in the local NHS – like elsewhere in the country – are already stretched and people are encouraged to play their part to help improve the situation by only ordering the medication they need. The money saved could be reinvested in vital, local healthcare services.
NHS Kernow is working with its partners to improve medicines ordering and prescribing systems and is asking the public to take the following simple steps to help:
- take your medicines exactly as your doctor advises
- only order what you need if you’re going to hospital
- take your medicines with you
- return unused medicines to your pharmacy
- don’t flush medicines down the toilet.
The cost of medicines that aren’t taken is wasted money as they are incinerated or buried in landfill sites. Once a medicine is dispensed it cannot be reused by anyone else as its effectiveness for the next patient cannot be guaranteed.
Georgina Praed, Head of Prescribing and Medicines Management at NHS Kernow, said: “We estimate that medicines waste costs the local NHS in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly £2-3million a year.
“Medicines waste really can mean money down the drain and is enormously costly in both financial and environmental terms.
“As has been well documented, like the wider NHS, we are facing a challenging financial situation locally, so it is vitally important that we work together to tackle this problem. NHS Kernow is working with GPs and pharmacies to reduce waste and we ask people to do their bit too.
“The public can help themselves, and their local NHS, by only requesting the medication they need. By reducing the amount of medicines being wasted each year, we could increase the available funding for other health services.
“Many items are returned unopened, but they cannot be used. However, if you check at the counter before you leave the pharmacy and hand back any unwanted items, then they will not go to waste.
“If you order repeat prescriptions then please only order what you need and if you have any worries about your medication, discuss it with your GP or your pharmacist.
“Patients can ask for a medicine review at their GP practice to ensure that they are getting the best treatment.
“Take your medicines if you can – tell us if you can’t.”
Dr Iain Chorlton, Chairman at NHS Kernow, said: “Having unwanted drugs at home may mean that patients are not getting the benefits they could be from their medicines – and is also hugely wasteful.
“GPs understand that patients sometimes struggle with taking their medicines for a variety of reasons. They could be worried about side effects, don’t think they are working or find it difficult to remember to take them.
“Patients shouldn’t be afraid to tell their GP or pharmacist if they have stopped taking their medicines or no longer want to take them – we are here to help.”
Phillip Yelling, Chief Officer at Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Pharmaceutical Committee, said: “Medicines waste is a massive drain on the health system’s resources. We urge patients to only order what they require for the next month. Please talk to your community pharmacist about what you require and they will ensure you have what you need and do not waste money taking home what you do not need. Patients do not need to order medicines just to keep them on their reorder list.”
ENDS
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