Call not to stockpile medicines … and dispose of them properly

A call has been made for people to dispose of their unused or expired medicines safely … and to check whether they need additional supplies.

Every month, 2.5 million prescriptions are issued to residents of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, worth £22 million.

Three quarters of these are for repeat prescriptions and the NHS integrated care board (ICB) for the region estimates that a tenth of these are not required as the patient has sufficient supplies.

In a bid to cut back on stockpiling and seeing supplies expire, the ICB wants people to check before reordering.

And if people have expired medicines, they are urged to dispose of them properly. Experts at Recycle Now say medicines should be returned to pharmacies, and not flushed down toilets or sinks, or placed in waste bins as they can be harmful to the environment.

Pharmacist Nabeela Ali said she encouraged open discussions with patients to ensure they have the medicines they need.

"I advise patients to check their medicine cabinet before placing an order,” she said.

“It’s heartening to see more people being mindful of their prescriptions and disposing of expired medicines at their local pharmacy.

"This ensures people remain healthy by using the right or ‘in date’ medicines, while helping prevent unnecessary stockpiling.”

She added that stocking increases the risk of shortages and can be dangerous to children and pets.