Your NHS needs you! Reduce Prescribing Waste!

DID YOU KNOW?

That unused drugs cost about £300 Million a year in the UK on unused or partially used medication?

Even if you never open them, once you leave a pharmacy your medicines cannot be recycled or used by anyone else.

THIS WOULD PAY FOR;

11,778 MORE community nurses or
80,906 MORE Hip Replacements or
19,779 MORE Drug Treatment Courses for Breast Cancer
300,000 MORE Drug Treatment Courses for Alzheimer’s or
312,175 MORE Cataract Operations

THINK ABOUT IT!

Before heading to the pharmacy, take a look in your medicine cabinet to see what you actually need.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

There are a number of ways that you can help to reduce the issue of wasted medicines and save money for your local NHS.

ONLY ORDER THE MEDICATION 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 form 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 take your unused medicines to the Pharmacy for safe disposal.

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• Return out of date medicines to your pharmacy or dispensary for safe disposal.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 – away from heat and not above boiling kettle!

NEVER dispose of your unused or unwanted medicines down the toilet.