Helping to Reduce Medicines Waste
Waste medicines cost the NHS an estimated £300 million each year. Think before you order. Help us to reduce medicine waste. Only order what you need! Let’s use our NHS resource wisely
You can help by:
- Only ordering what you need
- If for any reason you have not been taking your medication as prescribed by your doctor, please let your doctor and/or pharmacist know immediately
- Taking your medicines with you when you go into hospital.
Remember:
- Unused medicines cannot be recycled.
- Return unwanted medicines to a pharmacy for safe disposal.
- Store medicines in an appropriate place out of reach of children.
Only order what you need
- Check what medicines you have at home before you order your repeat prescriptions. If you have enough, only request the medicines you need this time. You will still be able to order others again in the future.
- The best way to order your repeat prescription is through the NHS app. It puts you in control and allows you to only select the medicine you need. It’s also quick and easy and means no more unnecessary trips or phone calls to your GP practice. You can download the NHS app through Apple Store or Google Play.
Check your prescription bag
- Before leaving the pharmacy make sure that you only have what you need and that there’s nothing extra in there. If you return an item before you leave the pharmacy, the medicines can still be used by someone else.
Take your medicines to hospital with you
- Always keep a current list of your medicines with you, for example in your wallet or purse or on your phone on the NHS App.
- If you know you’re going into hospital, take all your medicines with you. This means that the hospital won’t need to dispense more of the same medication and your medicines will be available to take when you need them.
- When it’s time to go home take the right medicines with you. Ask staff if you can be referred to your community pharmacy for support with your medication when you leave hospital.
Tell your pharmacist if your medication is no longer right for you
- Let your pharmacy team know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines or if they’re no longer right for you. This is not a problem, and in fact, means the team will be able to improve your healthcare.
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