NHS Walsall join the campaign to reduce medicines waste

A campaign has been launched in Walsall as part a region wide initiative to reduce medication waste. The campaign encourages patients, carers, GPs and pharmacists to reduce the amount of wasted medication in order to save money for other vital NHS services. The campaign  sees posters displayed in GP surgeries and community pharmacies throughout June.  Patient leaflets are also be available from your GP practice or pharmacy.

In Walsall as an example if just one person in every household had a bottle of medication worth £12 that they didn’t need this would cost the NHS approximately £1.4 million a year.

Bharat Patel, Head of Medicines Management for NHS Walsall, said: “Even if you never open them, once medicines have left the pharmacy they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else. Therefore please check what medicines you still have at home before re-ordering. Return any unused medicines to the pharmacy for safe disposal.  Discuss your medication with your pharmacist or GP on a regular basis.”

The aim of the campaign is to encourage patients to let their GP or Pharmacist know if they have stopped taking a medication, check what medicines they have got already before re-ordering, think carefully before ticking all the boxes on the repeat prescription and remember to take any prescription medicine into hospital. In addition to targeting the patients the campaign aims to encourage GPs and Pharmacists to only reissue what the patient needs, explain that it is not ok to re-order an item that is not needed at the time, check issue dates for under or over ordering and encourage patients to return unused medications to their local pharmacy for safe disposal.