Only Order What You Need! NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Community Pharmacy have launched a public awareness campaign highlighting the impact of medicines waste and are asking patients to check what medicines they have at home before ordering more.
It’s easier than ever for people to manage their repeat prescriptions when using the NHS App. People can order their repeat prescriptions at any time, without joining a telephone queue or waiting until your GP surgery opens.
The NHS App will show them the medicines they can request, and they simply just need to click on the items they need. They can also easily choose where their prescriptions are sent by changing their nominated pharmacy.
We’re also encouraging patients to check in their bag when they collect their prescriptions, to see if there are items they don’t need, before leaving the pharmacy.
Why is this important? Over six million medicines are ordered each year in LLR, including inhalers and diabetes test strips. However, it’s estimated that £3 million worth of medicines are wasted unnecessarily each year. We need your help to reduce this.
We want everyone in LLR to know that if you have enough medicine at home, there’s no need to order more every time. You will still be able to request your medicine again in future.
• Stay well
o Unused medicines go out of date and might not work as intended, meaning your care might be compromised
o Stockpiling medicines worsens drug shortages
• Stay safe
o Stockpiles of medicines kept at home can be dangerous for children and pets
o Medicines are only prescribed for you, and it is not safe to share prescribed medicines with anyone else
• Safe green
o When you dispose of medicines properly, by handing them in to your pharmacy, you are helping to make sure that waste medicines do not pollute our rivers and seas
o Only ordering what you need means that you are helping the environment because once medicines have left the pharmacy, they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else
The good news is that you can help make a tremendous difference - please speak to your pharmacy team about only ordering what you need.
Please see our website for further information https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/medicines-waste/.