What's the problem?
A report by the Department of Health estimates that unused medicines cost the NHS around £300 million every year, with an estimated £110 million worth of medicine returned to pharmacies, £90 million worth of unused prescriptions being stored in homes and £50 million worth of medicines disposed of by Care Homes.
These startling figures don't even take into account the cost to patients' health if medicines are not being correctly taken. If medicine is left unused, this could lead to worsening symptoms and extra treatments that could have been avoided.
Why are medicines wasted?
Sometimes patients receive medicines they don't actually use, or use only occasionally. This means that they can lose out on the intended health benefits of their prescription. The reasons why patients don't take all their medication can vary and audits have shown that around half of all the medication returned had not even been opened. This means that patients are ordering and receiving medication that they don't even start to use.
By reducing the amount of medicines being wasted each year, we could increase the available funding for other desperately needed health services.
Here are some examples of campaign launches across the UK:
BBC Radio 5 Live
On July 22nd, Jan James, Chief Executive Officer was asked by BBC 5 Live Breakfast Show to comment on the issue of medicine waste and the estimated 300 million it incurs to NHS every year.
Click to view the story on www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23374000
For the audio clips from the breakfast show please visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01d3jbc