Every day people bring East Sussex pharmacy manager Hashem Soozandeh carrier bags of full of unwanted medicines.
Recently, he was given a whole bin liner full to throw out containing drugs which cost the NHS over £3,000.
Wasted medicines are costing NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald over two million pounds every year.
Medicines cannot be re-used even if they are returned with the seals unbroken.
That’s because they may have been damaged by not being stored at the right temperature in people’s homes, or might be contaminated in some other way.
Once brought back, the NHS has to pay a company to dispose of them safely and this means less money is available to spend on things that patients actually need.
Hashem says:
“Once patients know about this waste I am sure they’ll help. One thing they can do is to only tick the items on repeat prescriptions that they need, not tick them all because it’s easier.
The message to patients is, if an item isn’t needed, please don’t tick the box on the prescription. Pharmacists like myself can review your use of medicines, help you get maximum benefit from them and advise on ordering repeat prescriptions. Just ask.”
Ticking everything can lead to hoards of medicines growing in people’s homes and if that happens there is more chance they won’t be used.
In addition, patients should get the medication they take reviewed and checked by their GP at least once a year so any items which are no longer needed can be stopped.
