To find this stockpiling of medications really annoying?

[MindSweeper]

'This medicine was returned by a patient today. Once medicine has left a pharmacy it cannot be reused for safety reasons. All of the inhalers are full. The purple ones alone (all 42 of them) are worth £60 each. That is £2520 worth of medicines that the NHS could be using for something useful'

Medication wastage currently costs the NHS £300,000,000 per year.

It's shocking how much we have to waste in hospitals too, I see how much is destroyed and it makes me think how much good that could do for people in countries who don't have access to meds.

What solutions can you think of?

People are shifting the blame on pharmacists and doctors, but a lot of the time this stockpiling is people just not telling their doctors they're not taking medications, and still ticking the box to receive the med.

Sadly the funding disappeared in one or other of the reorganisations and the next PCT I worked for had nothing of the sort.

Isn't that always the case? Short-termism at its best

Someone up thread suggested this sort of scheme, so just wanted to say they are effective and could easily be self funding from savings. Just needs the political will. If Hunt paid as much attention as he does to terrible contracts...

Hear, hear.

Hedgehog I totally understand why you have spares of medications that keep your DCs alive. Repeat prescriptions do not always follow on perfectly with previous prescriptions, firstly there is a date a new prescription can't be ordered before, then processing time at the GP, and then time for the prescription to get to the pharmacy and then processing time at the pharmacy.

I can't imagine the medical professionals dealing with your DCs care would want you to be worrying about whether their medication would be available when they need it.

for managing your DCs conditions.

mind you are right - if I had to pay I would have picked up on that and I do care and do try not waste medicines etc. That was the point I was trying to make.

I usually do check and I have done things like get a prescription for something and hold it to see if there is an improvement without them etc- without wasting GP time in making another appt. Or my DD1 takes ADHD meds -they slowly increase the dose - so she was taking two instead of one tablet (=same dose) to use up the old lower dose ones -and when she changed to try a new med at a certain time we requested half the amount of the previous one. (I also put my 2 monthly repeats into sync by requesting half once - so I wasn't ordering monthly - to save GPs/admin time)
But it is easy not to -when you are in a rush -or distracted because you are ill/feeling miserable -or someone else collecting for you. (like I said the oramorph I dithered about in the chemist - I wasn't with it enough to think it through (2 small bottles) - which is probably the case for some elderly patients etc)

Actually with older patients you probably get the Dr is always right mentality -so they don't question or admit that something isn't right for them (think it was mentioned up thread).
I have a complicated health history by necessity I know a lot about - new Dr, 10 min appt, they can't possibly get their head around it from reading my notes -so I have disagreed etc - or even in the emergency unit told one their job (I needed a full clotting screen before I was back on warfarin or haematology would have to take me off it again to do it!).
My DM (70s) is horrified when I mention things like that ...but then was taking a medication (on and off) for a year that made her feel worse and she didn't actually need...because you don't question a Dr.

Yes absolutely
OK, fair enough and thanks for your honesty.

What I don't like is people who when asked the same question would reply with "no, not if I were paying for it", obviously this is not you.

Take care.

I have masses of meds at home because every time I'm admitted to hospital (9 times in the last 11months, and I'm in again arm) I'm discharged with two weeks of meds. And because my meds keep changing, as they try to deal with my asthma and allergies, I really can't not have the full prescription from the pharmacy.

Come the ZA I'll be fine,

Stratters- can't believe you're in again!!

I know, someone on FB asked if I'd got my own bed with a blue plaque above it 😂

I'm sorry to read that you're in again Stratters. I hope you've decent ward neighbours.

Haven't read the whole thread so this might have been asked already-but if drugs quite obviously haven't been compromised, if they are unopened, why can they not be reused?

Jeez op thats shocking! I was prescribed meds once that made me collapse, felt terrible handing them back into boots after taking just one.

Haven't RTFT but I was prescribed iron supplements in liquid form, and I asked for a small amount to start with as sometimes it doesn't agree with me, and I didn't want a huge supply. Of course, they gave me six bloody bottles! I told them I didn't want to take that much as I didn't want to waste it and was told by the chemist that it was too late as they'd put the label on. And of course, predictably, I was only able to take it about a month, then had to stop. Loads of waste. Frustrating.

I have 'emergency' medication that I'm supposed to take in certain circumstances for my chronic condition. I usually only ever need about 5 tablets for these circumstances, but the GP can only prescribe me 60 at a time. So when I know I'm going to need some, I check whether they're still in date (usually not ) order my repeat and dispose of the old ones. I've asked if they can prescribe me a smaller number at a time to no avail. It's really frustrating as I know the rest are most likely going to be wasted as the circumstances when I need them are rare and I don't get through them otherwise.

Perhaps have a system where people can see a doctor occasionally to review their condition? A system where a GP is a service anyone can access without having to call on the day and have to be an emergency? If people felt more welcome in primary care they may be inclined to have more control. And ffs get rid of asthma nurses unless they are actually intelligent enough to do more than dole mouth medications, to patients who are not all asthmatic.

Please don't disparage asthma nurses, they are a very valuable resource, and are generally far more knowledgable than the average GP.

My mum has been taking inhalers for 5 years despite telling the asthma nurses every 3 months that she doesn't think it's asthma, more of a crippling sharp intermittent pain on the left side of her chest. After she was discharged, we paid for proper rests. She is no more asthmatic than I am and sadly the undiagnosed angina amongst other things is severe enough to be life threateningm

I did work in the NHS for a few years after I qualified but had to leave because of this kind of thing. That nurse is also so obese they have had to change her room and get a special doorway and chair. She also smokes in her car.

I know more about asthma than our
Asthma nurse!
As with everything in the nhs it seems it's luck of the draw

MrsD what can sometimes happen is that you lose one. Course as soon as you get a replacement the first one turns up again Just like with bank cards.

I did have 1 until the night that I nearly died because I had a bad attack and couldn't find the fucking thing. The next day I reported it missing and got another on emergency prescription, then searched for and found no. 1. Now I keep 1 by my bedside and one in my work bag/handbag (whatever I'm using). If I ever lose (misplace) one I get another on emergency prescription straight away, so I always have 2 now. 1 is dangerous imo

My last repeat prescription had an URGENT!!!!!!! note in it that I must book in to Asthma Clinic!!!1!!!

I am not asthmatic. I was prescribed a blue inhaler (among other things) for pneumonia earlier this year.

DH and at least one of my DC does have asthma. None of them has ever been invited to asthma clinic, let alone summoned IN CAPITALS.

Years ago when I first took various meds, the pharmacist suggested I take one blister pack of a prescription and return for the rest later. It would make sense if that was offered routinely for people taking new prescriptions (wouldn't suit people struggling to get someone to collect meds, but many of us live round the corner from a pharmacy).

Thing is, GP appts are like gold dust (local practice should have about 12 full-time equivalents and can't recruit more than half that at a time), so they want to ensure patients have meds they need and don't struggle to make a required appt just to get more, so prescribe as much as they are allowed. And the NHS tries to reduce how many sizes of packs it buys so it can get better bulk discounts and also save storage space, which again means more pills etc get prescribed - but in most cases a pack of say 30 tablets would only be a few pence more than 15 or 7. Obviously some are much more expensive and they can all mount up.

I disagree about pharmacists making diligent checks. my son has 10.items.on repeat and when the pharmacy was handling it, I was inundated with deliveries. I took care myself and now request what I need, when I need it, direct from the GP surgery. much less waste.

my son also has special milk delivered to our home from nutricia. They will happily delivering 3 of everything, each month. even though I have several times called them up and said that I don't need X every time, just when I specify it. took me ages to get them to stop delivering it.

companies like nutricia have a blank cheque to write their own prescription that the NHS will pay for. disgraceful