Unused prescription medicines cost the NHS across the UK over £300 million every year.
£300 million could pay for:
- 80,906 more hip replacements*
- 101,351 more knee replacements*
- 19,799 more drug treatment courses for breast cancer*
- 11,778 more community nurses*
- 300,000 more drug treatment courses for Alzheimer’s*
*Based on average costs
To help reduce medicine waste, you can:
- Let your GP or pharmacist know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines
- Check what medicines you still have at home before reordering
- Discuss your medication with your GP or pharmacist 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, don’t order it. If you need the medicine in the future you can still request it
- If you need to go into hospital, remember to take all your medicines with you in a clearly marked bag
- Remember that your medicines are prescribed only for you. It’s not safe to share them with anyone else