Wasted or unused medicine is a serious and growing problem within the NHS that you can help tackle.
Medicines that are requested on prescriptions but then not used are sometimes referred to as Medicines Waste. Nationally, for every £25 spent on prescription medication, £1 is wasted.
The NHS pays for every medicine it dispenses, there is no such thing as a free prescription, and if it is not needed by the patient the NHS also pays for the medicines to be disposed of.
By talking and listening to the local community, GPs, pharmacies and other healthcare professionals it’s clear how important it is that we tackle the issue of medicine waste, particularly at a time when locally and nationally the NHS system is facing major challenges to meet the demand for services within available resources.
Reducing medicines waste is important to us, but it is not something we can do alone.
We need your help to work together to stop medicines waste across the area, reduce the spend, and get more from your local NHS.
We want to raise awareness amongst the public and need to get residents in South East London to:
If your GP prescribes medication to treat a condition, it’s important to take it in exactly the way that it’s been prescribed to receive the most benefit.
If you stop taking your medication – or if you stop taking it in the way your doctor prescribed – please tell your doctor about this. They’ll help you to make an informed choice about your medication and may be able to prescribe an alternative.
Cold weather can make some health problems worse and even lead to serious complications, especially if you’re 65 or older, or if you have a long-term health condition.
Join the meeting of the Lewisham LCP Strategic Board to hear about our plans and have the opportunity to ask questions. Please submit questions in advance to [email protected] We will endeavour to provide an answer to questions submitted in advance. The agenda and supporting papers for this meeting are available here. Click here to join […]
Monday 11 May marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week this year, and the theme is ‘Action.’ While raising awareness remains essential, ‘taking action’ is vital to lasting change and better health all year round.
A meeting of the Partnership Southwark Strategic Board will be held in public on Thursday, 28 May 2026. This board is made up of representatives from organisations within Partnership Southwark as well as community representatives within the borough. People and community members from the borough are welcome to attend and ask questions. You can submit […]