Upload
selina
View
51
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Walsall Medicines Waste. Walsall Medicines Management Team. Question. How much Money do we know is wasted on medicines each year in Walsall?. Answer. £1-3 million Potentially the cost of 3401 Cataract operations or 909 Percutaneous coronary interventions – stents or - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Walsall Medicines Waste
Walsall Medicines Management Team
Question
How much Money do we know is wasted on medicines each year in Walsall?
Answer
£1-3 millionPotentially the cost of
3401 Cataract operations or909 Percutaneous coronary interventions – stents or
588 Hip replacements or340 Coronary Artery Grafts
What a waste
What a waste
Pharmacy waste collection in Walsall – July 2010
61 collections 46.6kg average per collection. Nearly 3 tonnes of waste Est. £500k of waste Usually collected every 8 weeks
The Department of Health has estimated that £100million in unwanted medicine is returned every year in England alone - this does not account for medicines that are thrown away with domestic waste or flushed away
Could be as high as £800 million across the NHS per year £1.5million spent by PCTs destroying this waste
Why does it occur?
Suggestions
Why does it occur
Education and training Lack of understanding Patient unaware that unused medicines cannot be
recycled, even if you never open them, once medicines have left the pharmacy or dispensary they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else.
Patient may not be able to appreciate the true cost of their medicines
Lack of responsibility by patient – order all medication on repeat slip, patient not determining what they need.
Lack of responsibility by healthcare professional-HCP not synchronising the medication, Care homes disposing of “when required” medicines monthly
Examples
Treatment is changed by GP or hospital Prescription quantities are not synchronised Patient decides not to use or to use intermittently – side
effects, beliefs, interference with daily activities Medicines are dispensed but remain uncollected Patients no longer need medication due to recovery In patient medication may be transferred to primary care
and continued unnecessarily e.g. antibiotics Acute medicines are transferred to repeat and issued every
time Seasonal medication remains on a repeat prescription all
year Patient may stockpile medicines “just in case” Lack of review
How would you tackle the problem?
Suggestions
How we can reduce this waste?
Understand the implications and communicate these key messages to patients and carers:
Let your GP or Pharmacist know if you've stopped taking any of your medicines. Check what medicines you still have at home before re-ordering. Discuss your medication with your Pharmacist or GP on a regular basis. Think carefully before ticking all the boxes on your repeat prescription forms and
only tick those you really need. If you don't need the medicine now - don't order it! If you need the medicine in the
future you can still request it. If you need to go into hospital, please take all your prescription medicines with
you. Stock-piling of medicines is both wasteful and dangerous. Try to understand how much wasted medicines cost the NHS This wasted money means less money to be spent on other health servicesAnd finally Signpost patients to services that can help optimise their medicine taking and
reduce potential wastage
What are we doing
Medicines waste campaign
Medicines management technician – supports meds management in care homes
Medication reviews Repeat dispensing Reduced quantities prescribed Repeat prescription management by
Pharmacists/technicians
Summary
Medicines waste is a massive drain on NHS resources Its everyone's problem More waste = less resources for you and your loved
ones Raised awareness of the campaign will help get the
message across Services are available through the pharmacy or GP to
help tackle the problem The least cost-effective medicine is one that is never
used Remember, once a medicine leaves the
pharmacy it cannot be re-used or recycled
Resources
1. http://www.medicinewaste.com/
2. The Department of Health has quoted this estimate for some years, e.g. Hansard 10 November 2003, column 130W; 5 June 2006, column 385W.
3. 26 Department of Health, Management of Medicines: A resource to support implementation of the wider aspects of medicines management for the National Service Frameworks for Diabetes, Renal Services and Long-Term Conditions, July 2004, available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/87/55/04088755.pdf
4. http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0607/prescribing_costs_in_primary_c.aspx