West Glasgow CHCP Repeat Prescribing Campaign

West Glasgow CHCP Repeat Prescribing Campaign

In NHSGG&C an estimated £24 million of medication is

returned to pharmacies and doctors every year.

This money could have paid for

• 4,000 Hip replacements
• 3,158 Heart by-pass operations
• 620 Physiotherapists
• 622 Community nurses

• 4,000 Knee replacements

Campaign to reduce Medicine waste medicine

January 2008 sees the launch ofThis xxxxxxx a major campaign across is being launched in our CHCP WestEast RenfrewshireWest Glasgow Glasgow CHCP and across CHCPs in Greater Glasgow (GG&C) to help encourage patients and carers not to order medicines they don’t need.medicine wastage.

Wasted medication that is dispensed then returned to pharmacies and doctors unused costs We primary care throw away an estimated £24£XXX million every year plus .

of medication every year Aacross GG&C primary care. which this money could have paid for That could pay for

X4,000 Hip replacements

3,158x hHeart by-pass operations

620 x cataract operationsPhysiotherapists

622x cCommunity nurses

4,000x Kknee replacements

Working together patients, carers, surgeries and pharmacists can reduce unnecessary waste of medicines.

One of the main concerns is medicines on repeat prescription which are ordered and collected by patients but are not needed. Reducing the ordering of medicines that are not needed is the target of this new campaign.

People with repeat prescriptions will be reminded only to order what they need.

Once medicines have left the pharmacy they cannot be supplied to any one else and have to be thrown away whether they have been used or not.

Another focus of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of having excess medicine in the home.

-All medicines should be stored safely so that children cannot reach them. Building up excess quantities of medicines it becomes causes difficulty in to storinge them all safely.

- Having too many packs of any medicine it becomes makes it difficult to use them in the correct order so some can go out of date.

- Patients can get muddled and by mistake take too much of a medicine especially if the same medicines are in different packaging.

The only safe way to dispose of unused, unwanted or out of date medicines is to return them to yourthe pharmacy for incineration.

- Flushing them down the toilet pollutes the water supply.

- Putting them in the bin is dangerous-children and animals can get hold of them.

Patients are urged to check with their pharmacist or surgery before a medicine is dispensed if they think it might not be needed.

Repeat medicines need to be checked from time to time to ensure that they are all still suitable for you. If you are invited for a medication review by your surgery or pharmacy patients are urged to attendplease attend.

Working together patients, carers, surgeries and pharmacists can reduce the unnecessary wastage of medicines and contribute to safe storage and use of medicines.

Medicines which are not needed or not used by patients through out the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area are costing the NHS an estimated £XX million a year at least. That money could have bought more than xx people a vital cataract operation or provide xxx physiotherapists.

This month a major campaign to encourage people not to order medicines they don’t need.

Thstop people from ordering medicines they don’t need is being launched across the whole area.

The full cost of medicinedrug wastage is not just the cost ofof the medicines drugs themselves. NHS GG&C NHS have to pay for returned medicines to be safely destroyed, and for treating the effects of patients not taking theirn-adherence to medicines as intended..

MedicinesDrugs are wasted for a wide range of reasons. Some of the most cCommon reasons for that medicines are waste and how to avoid them.d includeare listed below.

Patients recover and no longer need need to take a medicine which their medication but is not taken off the repeat slip so keeps being ordered.continue to order.

A medicine is unsuitable for the patient due to side effects.

• Acute (time-limited) medicines are put on transferred onto the repeat prescription record so keep being ordered. and subsequently issued every time a repeat prescription is requested.
• Seasonal medicineation is ordered along with other repeat medicines all year e.g. antihistamines for hay fever.

Patients are recovering and no longer need their medication but continue to order.

Medicines are dispensed by the pharmacist and remain uncollected

A medicine is unsuitable for the patient due to side effects

Medicines prescribed during a hospital stay, such as antibiotics, are continued for longer than unnecessarecommendedily when the patient returns home.

Acute (time-limited) medicines are transferred onto the repeat prescription record and subsequentlyare issued every time that a repeat prescription is requested.generated

Seasonal medication is ordered along with other repeat medicinesremains a repeat prescription all year e.g. antihistamines for hay fever

All GP practices can will provide information on how the system for ordering repeat medication works. Importantly Yyou do not need to order everything on the repeat slip. at the same time.

Only tick the items you really really need. If you need the item in the futurein the future you can still request it.

It is important your doctor knows if you are not taking the prescribed your medicines as prescribed. . Doctors encourage patients to take medicines that will benefit them. If you are unhappy about taking a medicinethe tablets, tell your doctor or pharmacistr. You need to discuss options.

• Some patients tend to stockpile “just in case” medicines by and re-ordering repeat medication that they do not yet need.

Supply problems are very rare. Pharmacies usually have deliveries of stock twice a day. If they run out of a medicine in the morning they will probably have it for the afternoon.

If youa patient runs out of a regular medicine your their community pharmacist can usually will be able to provide an “emergency supply” until your the prescription is ready.

UnevenNon-equivalent quantities ofquantities (e.g. 28 day and 30 day packs) of medicines prescribed simultaneously can lead to build up the accumulation of ‘’ “extra” doses o. Over time. this can generate significant amounts of waste.

Please speak to your surgery if you have to keep ordering medicines at odd or inconvenient times, so they can changeadjust the quantities.

There will always be some unused medicines due to patient recovery, changes in patient condition, side effects.

By ordering only what you really need unnecessary waste will be reduced.

 Non-equivalent quantitiespack sizes of medicines prescribed simultaneously can lead to the accumulation of ‘’2 extra” doses. Over time this can generate significant amounts of waste.Medicines are dispensed by the pharmacist and remain uncollected

The systems by which patients order repeat medicines areis pinpointed as a major contributor to the problem but whilst pharmacists and GPs are trying to address the situation it is important for each and every patient or carererson to think carefully and honestly about their needs each time they request a prescription.

Patients are being advised not to ask for a repeat prescription for afor medicines if they still have adequate amounts of it at home to prevent building– not to build up large stocks of medicines. Medicines as they only have only a limited life span and may not be safe if taken after the use-by-date. If you have too many packs of any medicine it becomes difficult to use them in the correct order so some can go out of date.It is dangerous to have excess medicine in the home.

• Building up large quantities of medicines can make it difficult to store them all safely out of reach of children.
• Having too many packs of any medicine makes it difficult to use them in the correct order so some can go out of date.
• Patients can get muddled and by mistake take too much of a medicine especially if the same medicines are in different packaging.

Safe destruction of medicines.

The only safe way to get rid of unused, unwanted or out of date medicines is to

return them to the pharmacy for incineration.

• Flushing them down the toilet pollutes the water supply.

• Putting them in the bin is dangerous-children and animals can get hold of them.

How you can help.

• Only order what you need.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are not taking a medicine
• If you are no longer taking a medicine do not order it
• Check with your pharmacist or surgery before a medicine is dispensed if you think it might not be needed.
• Repeat medicines need to be checked from time to time to make sure that they are all still suitable for you. If you are invited for a medicine review by your surgery or pharmacy please attend.
• If a medicine is unsuitable due to side effects talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
• Take old, out of date and discontinued medicines to your pharmacy for safe destruction.

Working together patients, carers, surgeries and pharmacies can

reduce unnecessary waste of medicines.

Another focus of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of having In addition excess medicine in the home. is a safety issue.

- -All medicines should be stored safely so that children cannot reach them. Building up excess quantities of medicines it becomes difficult to store them all safely.

- Having too many packs of any medicine it becomes difficult to use them in the correct order so some can go out of date.

- Patients You can get muddled and by mistake take too much of a medicine especially if the same medicines are in different packaging. In addition hoarding medicines c

-ould lead to an increased the risk of accidental ingestion ??All medicines should be stored safely so that children cannot reach them. If you build up excess quantities of you medicines it is difficult to store them all safely.

Each year xxxx children are admitted to hospital because they have taken medicines which were “not out of reach”.

Medicines are responsible for many suspected poisoning cases. Painkillers

are the most frequent cause of poisoning but children have also been taken

to hospital after swallowing tranquillisers, anti-depressants, vitamins and sleeping pills.

The only safe way to dispose of unused, unwanted or out of date medicines is to return them to your pharmacy for incineration.

- Flushing them down the toilet pollutes the water supply.

- Putting them in the bin is dangerous-children and animals can get hold of them.

Patientt’s will also be reminded that Uunused medicines cannot be recycled. Once medicines have left the pPharmacy they cannot bebe recycled or supplied used byto any one else even if they are unopened so have to be destroyed..

Patients are urged to check with their pharmacist or surgeryGP before a medicine is dispensed if they think it might not be needed.

Repeat medicines need to be checked from time to time to ensure that they are all still suitable for you. If you are invited for a medication review by your surgery or pharmacy please attend.

Working together patients, carers, surgeries and pharmacists can reduce the unnecessary wastage of medicines and contribute to safe storage and use of medicines.