GPs and pharmacists across Oxfordshire have joined together in an effort to educate residents about the true cost to the NHS of medication that is never used.
Wasted pills, tablets and treatments cost the NHS across south central England up to £20m each year, a sum that could pay for 1,319 more treatments courses for breast cancer or 20,000 more courses for Alzheimer’s. A large proportion of the wastage is blamed on repeat prescriptions, which are ordered and collected by patients but never used.
Julie Dandridge, chief pharmacist at NHS Oxfordshire, said: “We want patients on repeat prescriptions to think about what they are ordering and only ask for what they need and are running out of. Any other medicines can be dispensed when needed at a later date, as once medicines have been dispensed, they cannot be recycled.”
Healthcare professionals are appealing to patients to only order what they need, return unwanted medicines to their pharmacy for safe disposal and remember to take their medicines with them when they go to hospital.
It is estimated that £90m worth of unused medicine is kept in homes across the UK. The NHS believe that patients are not taking their medication because they think it isn’t necessary, want to avoid possible side effects, find it difficult to fit taking the medicine into their daily routines or want to stop taking medication that they have been taking for a long time.
To help address the problem, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued guidelines to healthcare professionals to encourage them to consult patients more when writing prescriptions.
Posters and leaflets will be displayed in pharmacies and doctor’s surgeries across the county to raise awareness of the issue. The campaign will encourage patients to have regular reviews of their medicines and to discuss any issues they may have with taking their medication with their GP or pharmacist.
Dr John Galuszka, a GP from Bicester’s Victoria House Surgery, said: “There are a number of reasons why medicines are going to waste, including people no longer taking or using the drugs. Others may be put at risk if unwanted medicines are left in the home.
"If anyone has any unused medicines at home we're encouraging them to take them back to the pharmacy for safe disposal and have a chat with the pharmacist about their medicines on how to use them more effectively."
