Reducing medicine waste
Did you know it is estimated that an incredible £300 million is lost across the National Health Service (NHS) through medicines waste alone?
It is essential that we get the very best value from the money we are allocated to spend on healthcare for the local population. The cost of unused, over-ordered medicines could be used to fund services for people in our community who really need them.
Find out more about the campaign to reduce medicine waste at http://www.medicinewaste.com.
Ways we can help
Only order the medicines that you need:
- Please let your GP or Pharmacist know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines
- Check what medicines you still have at home before re-ordering
- Discuss your medication with your GP or Pharmacist on a regular basis
- 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
- If you need to go into hospital, please remember to take all your medicines with you in a clearly marked bag
- Please also remember that your medicines are prescribed only for you; it’s not safe to share them with anyone else
Remember that unused medicines cannot be recycled:
- Even if you never open them, once medicines have left the Pharmacy, they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else
- Please bring your unused medicines to the Pharmacy for safe disposal
- NEVER dispose of your unused or unwanted medicines down the toilet
Unused medicines are a safety risk:
- Return out of date medicines to your pharmacy or dispensary for safe disposal
- If your medicines change – return your old medicines to the pharmacy for safe disposal to avoid mixing them up with your new medicines
- Don’t stockpile medication – it is a safety risk for children and others who might take them
- Store medicines in an appropriate place out of reach of children
Please take a moment to watch the video(s) below to find out how you can help
