Medicine Waste Campaign
The ICB has launched a campaign urging people to only order the medication they need from their repeat prescriptions.
A report by the Department of Health estimates that unused medicines cost the NHS around £300 million every year.
Tania Farrow, Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist as NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said:
“We’re reminding people who have repeat prescriptions how important it is to check what medicines they have at home before placing an order.
“We know that a significant number of repeat prescription medicines are not used as intended and are returned to pharmacies for destruction.
“Ordering unnecessary medication can increase the risk of medicines shortages in pharmacies and we want to make sure essential medications are available to those who need them.”
Below is some useful advice for patients:
- Only order the medication if you need it - repeat items remain on your prescription even if you don’t order them every month.
- Try keeping all medication in one safe place at home, so you can see what you have left and what you need to reorder.
- For each prescription, take medication from one pill packet at a time, so you can keep a track of what you’ve taken and what you have left.
- Make a note on your calendar 7 to 10 days before your prescription due date to go through your medication and see what is left. Being organised in this way means that if bank holidays or weekends are coming up, you will have planned enough for these dates too.
In addition to asking patients to only order the medication they need, the NHS is also encouraging people - whenever possible - to take their medicines into hospital should they be admitted, whether it’s planned or unplanned.
This helps hospital staff to speed up care as they will have a complete record of the medicines the patient requires and means no doses will be missed.
To see the campaign and for more information visit:
