Medicines Waste: Only Order What You Need

Posted by: taraanderson - Posted on:

What’s the problem?

Across Folkestone, Hythe and Rural PCN seven GP practices it is estimated that nearly £1 million of prescribed medicines are not needed every year.
 
Unused prescription medicines cost the NHS across England over £300 million every year.
£300 million could pay for:
80,906 MORE hip replacements*
101,351 MORE knee replacements*
19,799 MORE drug treatment courses for breast cancer*
11,778 MORE community nurses*
300,000 MORE drug treatment courses for Alzheimer’s*
*Based on average costs


It is estimated that is costs the UK tax payer another £500 million due to patients not getting the benefits of those medicines to their health. 

These startling figures don’t even take into account the cost to patients’ health if medicines are not being correctly taken. If medicine is left unused, this could lead to worsening symptoms and extra treatments that could have been avoided.

But there are ways you can help reduce the cost of wasted medicines!

Remember, only order what you need and help us make more of your local NHS.1

How Can You Help?

There are a number of ways that you can help to reduce the issue of wasted medicines and save money for your local NHS.

  • Only order the medicines that you need
  • Think carefully before ticking all the boxes on your repeat prescription forms and only tick those you really need
  • If you don’t need the medicine please don’t order it! If you need the medicine in the future you can still request it
  • Check what medicines you still have at home before re-ordering
  • Please let your GP or Pharmacist know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines
  • Discuss your medication with your GP or Pharmacist on a regular basis
  • If you need to go into hospital, please remember to take all your medicines with you in a clearly marked bag

Open your prescription bag

Check your prescription bag before leaving the pharmacy to make sure that you only have what you need and that there’s nothing extra in there. If you return an item before you leave the pharmacy, the medicines can be reused.

Please also remember that your medicines are prescribed only for you; it’s not safe to share them with anyone else.

Let your GP or pharmacist know

•             if you have difficulty taking your medicines

•             if you have stopped taking any medicines

Tell your GP if, after taking your medicine

•             you are not feeling better

•             you are suffering side-effects

•             you don’t believe the medicine is right for you

Your pharmacist will be able to explain:

•             what your medicine is for

•             why you need to take it

•             how to take your medicine

•             confirm it is the right medicine, if it looks different

Why are medicines wasted?

Sometimes patients receive medicines they don’t actually use, or use only occasionally. This means that they can lose out on the intended health benefits of their prescription. The reasons why patients don’t take all their medication can vary and audits have shown that around half of all the medication returned had not even been opened. This means that patients are ordering and receiving medication that they don’t even start to use.

By reducing the amount of medicines being wasted each year, we could increase the available funding for other desperately needed health services.

Non-urgent advice:

Check which items you already have several weeks supply of, BEFORE ordering your repeat prescription