Surrey NHS trust urges residents to avoid medicine wastage
This comes after one patient returned unused medicines worth more than £5,000
Pharmacists across Surrey are warning about the growing problem of medicine waste. They are urging everyone to check their cupboards before reordering and only order what they need.
This comes after one patient returned unused medicines worth more than £5,000.
Each year, Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) spends around £176 million on medicines, with around 16 million prescriptions issued.
Nikki Smith, who is head of medicine safety for the Surrey Heartland system, says if people are unsure about what they need, they should always turn to the experts.
"Our key messages would be, every prescription matters, so only order what you need when you need it.
Check your supplies before reordering and speak to your pharmacist or your GP practice or hospital team if you're unsure."
Nikki also directly spells out the size of the problem.
"In Surrey heartlands, about 1.2 million prescription items go unused each year, often because people have more than they need or prescriptions changed. This isn't anybody's fault, it's a shared challenge we have."
Nikki added what the common patters are that she notices which can cause people to end up accidentally stockpiling medicine they don't need
"What we tend to see is people on multiple prescriptions, so they have many repeat medications, often have a higher likelihood of medicines being wasted.
This is because medicines can change during their course of treatment or they're no longer needed."
Lucy George, who is the lead technician for primary care for medicine safety in Surrey Heartlands, warns of the consequences of the waste
"There's obviously there's a cost to the environment, there's a cost to the NHS as a whole.
It can lead to stock shortages potentially if if there's a lot of wastage."
An estimated 1.2 million repeat prescription items go unused annually, costing the NHS around £12 million. Many unused medicines end up in landfill or waterways, harming wildlife.