Waste medicines cost Hywel Dda Health Board £2.7million a year
Representatives of the Hywel Dda Health Board are in the St Elli Shopping Centre in Llanelli today talking about medicine waste.
Wasted medication is costing the NHS millions every year – including an estimated £2.7million for the Hywel Dda Health Board, local health chiefs have revealed.
The potential money wasted on unused or partially used medicines could pay for:
One of the main concerns is repeat prescriptions, which are ordered and collected by patients but then not used. It is estimated that £90million worth of unused prescription medicines are retained in people’s homes, across the UK, at any one time.
The potential money wasted on unused or partially used medicines could pay for:
- 106 more nurses OR
- 2,700 more drug treatment courses for Alzheimers OR
- 178 more drug treatment courses for breast cancer OR
- 728 more hip replacements
- Only order what they need
- Return their unwanted medicines to their pharmacy for safe disposal
- Take their medicines with them when they go into hospital
One of the main concerns is repeat prescriptions, which are ordered and collected by patients but then not used. It is estimated that £90million worth of unused prescription medicines are retained in people’s homes, across the UK, at any one time.
Around half of all patients do not take or use their medicines as prescribed.
This can occur for a number of reasons, including:
Jenny Pugh-Jones, Head of Medicines Management, said: “Everyone involved in prescribing, dispensing or reviewing medicines needs to make sure that patients are engaged in making decisions about their treatment and that more medicines are taken as recommended.
“Unwanted medicines in the home may mean that patients are not getting the benefit they could from their medicines, and it is important that patients tell their GP and Local Pharmacist if they are not taking their medicine as prescribed by their doctor. It also represents a large amount of waste. 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, as any of the medicines can be dispensed when needed at a later date. It is worth remembering that once medicines have been dispensed, they cannot be recycled.”
The latest report from the Department of Health (Nov 23rd 2010) cited Medicine Use Reviews as a potential way to reduce waste. In 2011, NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) issued new guidelines to healthcare professionals on how to involve patients in making decisions about prescribed medicines and reduce the number of people not taking or using their medicines correctly.
The campaign will encourage patients to have regular reviews of their medicines and to discuss any issues they may have with their medication with their GP or pharmacist.
Anyone with unwanted medicines can return them to their local pharmacy where they will be disposed of safely.
This can occur for a number of reasons, including:
- Patients not believing the medicine is necessary
- Possible side effects
- Fitting taking or using medicines into daily routines
- Choosing between medicines if patients’ feel they are taking too many
- Cutting down or stopping medicines they have been taking for a long time.
Jenny Pugh-Jones, Head of Medicines Management, said: “Everyone involved in prescribing, dispensing or reviewing medicines needs to make sure that patients are engaged in making decisions about their treatment and that more medicines are taken as recommended.
“Unwanted medicines in the home may mean that patients are not getting the benefit they could from their medicines, and it is important that patients tell their GP and Local Pharmacist if they are not taking their medicine as prescribed by their doctor. It also represents a large amount of waste. 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, as any of the medicines can be dispensed when needed at a later date. It is worth remembering that once medicines have been dispensed, they cannot be recycled.”
The latest report from the Department of Health (Nov 23rd 2010) cited Medicine Use Reviews as a potential way to reduce waste. In 2011, NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) issued new guidelines to healthcare professionals on how to involve patients in making decisions about prescribed medicines and reduce the number of people not taking or using their medicines correctly.
The campaign will encourage patients to have regular reviews of their medicines and to discuss any issues they may have with their medication with their GP or pharmacist.
Anyone with unwanted medicines can return them to their local pharmacy where they will be disposed of safely.
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