HEALTH & WELLBEING: Medicines piling up and don’t know what to do about it?

Help is on hand for patients in Rotherham who have piles of waste medication they don’t know what to do with.

Help is on hand for patients in Rotherham who have piles of waste medication they don’t know what to do with.

Local pharmacy experts have estimated that around £1.5 million of NHS money is lost a year in Rotherham through medicines waste alone, money that could be better spent on caring for patients. In 2013 alone, over one billion prescription items were given out to patients in England at community pharmacies – an average of 2.7 million items every day and 18.7 items for every person living in the country.

The amount of time and money spent on wasted medicines, that cannot be used again, is astonishing. Prescription medicines are one of the biggest costs to the NHS, which is why it is important that we all look for ways to avoid waste. Also, it is important to remember that it’s not safe to leave medicines lying around in the house, especially where they may be in reach of children or other vulnerable people. Any unwanted or expired medicines must be returned to the pharmacy for disposal.

If anyone, a family member or neighbour has medication that is piling up and don’t know what to do about it they can tell the pharmacy team at the CCG and they will sort out the problem for them: 

  • Call NHS Rotherham CCG’s Medline on 01709 308999
  • Complete a form at your GP practice or local pharmacy
  • Email your telephone number to [email protected] and the team will call you back