Help us save £5 million a year by cutting out medicine waste
We estimate that each year, we could save around £5 million in mid Essex by reducing wasted medicines from inefficient prescribing and people ordering medicines unnecessarily.
Did you know?
Unused prescription medicines cost NHS Mid Essex £5 million every year, that could pay for:
- 150 more community nurses
- 1,000 more hip replacements
- 700 more heart by-pass operations
- 7,000 more cataract operations
- 900 more knee replacements
Unused medicines cannot be recycled
- Even if you never open them, once medicines have left the pharmacy or dispensary they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else.
- Please bring your unused medicines to the pharmacy or dispensary for safe disposal.
Unused medicines are a safety risk
- Return out of date medicines to pharmacy for safe disposal.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.
What you can do to help
- 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 Pharmacist or GP on a regular basis
- Think carefully before ticking all the boxes on your repeat prescription forms and only tick those you really need
- If you don't need the medicine now - 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 take all your prescription medicines with you