Help us reduce medicines waste
Around £18 million is wasted in West Yorkshire every year on unused medicines. This includes inhalers, pain medication and creams, across our region.
By only ordering what we need we can make sure NHS resources go where they are most needed and reduce the environmental impact of avoidable medicines waste.
Ordering medicines when they aren’t needed can mean you end up with more than you need in your cupboard. Small changes in managing our medicines can make a big difference and help reduce medicine waste in West Yorkshire.
Medicine waste and throwing medicines away incorrectly not only costs money but also harms the environment.
Help stop waste. Check before you reorder and only order the medicines you actually need.
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What is stockpiling?
At some point, you might have thought about ordering extra medicines “just in case.” It’s a natural reaction, especially if you are worried about running out of something important. However, ordering more than you need or holding onto medicines you don’t use (known as stockpiling) can lead to problems
Why stockpiling isn’t helpful
- Wasted resources: Medicines that are not used often, go out of date and have to be thrown away. This wastes NHS funds that could be better used elsewhere.
- Supply issues: If some people stockpile, it can create shortages, making it harder for others to get what they need.
- Medicines safety: Holding onto medication can lead to mistakes about what to take and when, especially if your prescription changes.
When we order only what we need, we help make sure there is supply for everyone. It also helps the NHS focus on giving the best care for all. Don’t forget – if you’re worried about running out or delays, speak to your pharmacist or GP practice. They are there to help!
1
Only order what you need: Check what medicines you have at home before you place an order, and only order what you need.
2
Hand back: When you collect your medicines from your local pharmacy, make sure that you only have what you need. If you return an item before you leave the pharmacy, it can likely be reused.
3
Stick to your routine: Order your medication when you are running low (7-10 days), and no earlier. You can set up reminders in your calendar to help you check to see if you need to order more.
How to manage your repeat prescription
Frequently asked questions
Not usually, no. Most of the time, if you don’t order your medicines for a few months because you have a supply at home you’re using up, your GP practice won’t remove anything from your repeat prescription list.
We do think it’s a good idea to let your GP practice staff or community pharmacy team know that’s what you’re doing though so they can make a note on your medical record.
If you don’t order your medicine for more than a few months, you might find that when you do next order from your repeat prescription, your GP practice or community pharmacy may contact you to check if its still suitable for you to take.
We know this can be worrying, especially if you have experienced trouble getting your medicines in the past.
The NHS has systems in place to support medicines being distributed fairly and equally across the country but sometimes there are problems with medicine supply that are out of the control of your healthcare team and pharmacy even with these systems in place.
If you are worried about the availability of your medicines, talk to your community pharmacy team.
If you have run out of a prescribed medicine and need some urgently, there are a few ways to get an emergency supply, including out of hours.
If your GP practice is open, you should order your prescription in the usual way making it clear you have run out. For example, if you use the NHS App to request your medicines, there is a box provided where you can write that the request is urgent as you’ve run out. Sometimes, GP practices can issue a prescription quickly but not always, so we’d advise you to order your medicines when you have between 7 and 10-days’ supply of medicines left at home.
If you run out of medicine and your GP practice is closed or you can’t contact them, NHS 111 will help with a referral to community pharmacy for an emergency supply. You can access NHS 111 online via this link: Emergency prescriptions - NHS 111 or you can call 111 from a landline or mobile phone.
NHS 111 can only arrange this referral if the medicine you have run out of is prescribed regularly to you, through a repeat prescription. You may be given a small supply to last a few days until a prescription can be issued by your GP. You will be charged your usual prescription fee for this. If you do not usually pay, it will be free.
Managing a lot of medicines can be hard, but there are services and tools available to help you manage your medicines.
You can speak to a member of staff in your community pharmacy – they are trained to help people manage their medicines and can provide tailored advice on how you can do this and what options you have that might make taking lots of medicines easier. Usually, they have tools you can buy to help too, for example tablet cutters and tablet organisers.
You can also:
- Request a medication review with a GP, pharmacist or nurse in your GP practice as they can help you get the most from your medicines through reviewing what you are taking and when
- Ask for a Structured Medication Review, a type of medication review a pharmacist can do with you. View a short video to find out more: Structured Medication Review (SMR) to support patients (youtube.com)
- Use an App. There are lots of healthcare companies that provide Apps to help people manage their medicines. You may wish to ask your local community pharmacy if they are aware of any too
- Tell any healthcare professional if you are struggling to manage your medicines as they can help you. If you’re worried or concerned about speaking to a healthcare professional about your medicines, the Me and My Medicines Charter provides advice for patients, written by other patients, on ways to do this: Me & My Medicines
All medicines, whether tablets, liquids like paracetamol or eye drops, inhalers or creams etc, should be returned to your community pharmacy if you don’t need or want them anymore or they are out of date. The community pharmacy will dispose of them safely.
Some medicines e.g., some insulin products, can be recycled directly with the manufacturer of that product. This is usually done by post using a pre-paid envelope, although some community pharmacies can do this too. An example of this is the PenCycle scheme, run by Novo-Nordisk who make insulin products. Find participating IPenCycle pharmacies here.
You should not put any medicines in the bin, down the toilet or down the sink – this causes damage to the environment as medicines end up where they shouldn’t be – in the ground and in the water. This can be harmful to nature and to humans.
Inhalers should not be disposed of in household waste either, even if they are empty, as they can release gases that harm the environment if the inhaler is damaged, which can happen when sent to landfill. Empty inhalers should also be returned.
Occasionally, your community pharmacy may not be able to accept your unwanted, unneeded or out of date medicines because of storage space. This is usually a short-term issue so please be patient if this is the case and agree another suitable day to return your medicines with the pharmacy team.