Six tonnes of medicine costing NHS an estimated £500,000 thrown away

Six tonnes of medicine waste from East Lothian had to be disposed of last year: that’s almost the weight of three cars, and an estimated cost to the NHS of £500,000. Those funds could have been used to pay for ten kidney transplants, fifteen hip replacements and fifty cataract operations.

Wasted medicine is an enormous financial challenge to the NHS, even more so given the current pressures on public spending. While it is accepted there will always be some medicine waste, approximately 50% could be avoided. 

Medicines can go unused for several reasons. It may be due to medical concern: medicines are stopped due to adverse side-effects or a change in treatment means they are no longer required.

We can all do something about this. Just the smallest of changes can have a big impact!

East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP) are running an awareness campaign about how people can get the best from their medication and help reduce medicine waste in the process by following these simple steps:

• check what medication you have at home to avoid stockpiling
• ask the pharmacy for advice about everyday over the counter medications like paracetamol
• only order what you need from a repeat prescription
• speak up if there are items on your prescription you no longer use or take at a different dosage
• inform the pharmacist or your GP if you are experiencing side-effects from any medication
• ask for assistance if you would like to have your medication reviewed

ELHSCP Pharmacotherapy teams are also giving the opportunity for members of the public to directly request a medication review. This is a structured assessment by healthcare professionals of a patient’s medicines in relation to their health conditions. The aim is to optimise the contribution medicines make to the patient’s health, minimise the risk of medication related issues, remove unnecessary medications, and ensure prescribing is cost-effective.

Medication reviews are available to anyone who is receiving long-term prescriptions. They are especially important if individuals are taking medication differently from the dispensing label on the pack, if someone is struggling with their medicines daily, or if they are continuing to receive repeat prescriptions for items that are no longer required.

Fiona Wilson, Chief Officer and Joint Director of ELHSCP commented,
“It is a common misconception that unused medicine can be returned and used again. This is not the case. There are strict regulations in place that mean once a medicine has been dispensed from a pharmacy"

she added "We need the support of patients, family members and health professionals to get involved. This campaign is about empowering individuals to review their repeat prescriptions, to speak up if they have questions, and receive support to manage their medicines effectively.”

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Further information about medicine waste and how to request a medication review is available on East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership’s website www.eastlothian.gov.uk/medicine-waste or by enquiring at your local GP Practice or pharmacy.

Transform the lives of families in your community

Home-Start East Lothian is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under the age of five.

Working with families across East Lothian, their approach is as individual as the people they help. Non-judgemental, it offers compassionate and confidential help and support.

They offer full volunteer training to set you on your way including regular ongoing training, support and supervision and volunteer social gatherings.

Volunteers usually visit and support their families for two to three hours each week for around a year.

If you would like to find out more please email admin@homestarteastlothian.co.uk or telephone 01875 616066 or you can visit the website here

“I feel like ‘thank you’ is just not enough. What you have done for me and my boys over the last two years has been nothing short of amazing. This has without doubt been the hardest time of my life and it would have been even harder without Home-Start East Lothian’s help.” Joanne, parent

“Better than I hoped – love it, look forward to it.”  Mike, Home-Start volunteer