When it comes to Prescriptions……Please Only Order What You Need 

Did you know? 

  • 1 in 10 medicines in Scotland are wasted – this costs NHS Grampian millions of pounds each year   
  • Prescription medicines cost NHS Grampian over £121 million in 2023/2024 (this doesn’t include medicines prescribed or supplied in Grampian hospitals). 
  • NHS Grampian spends over £1.4 million each year just on paracetamol. 

For more information on the financial impact of unused medicine click here 

                             

What can we all do to help? 

  • Check what medicines you have at home – those prescribed and any bought over the counter.   
  • Check if your repeat list is up to date 
  • Think before you order your prescription medicines  
  • Please order only what you need 
  • Don’t order anything you are not taking

For more information on what we can all do to help, click here.

Unused Medicines Explained

What are unused medicines and why are medicines unused?

Financial Impact of Unused Medicines

How much does unused medicine cost NHS Grampian?

Environmental Impact of Unused Medicines

Unused medicines and how they are disposed of has an impact on the environment. 

What Can We All Do To Help?

What can we do to reduce unused medicines?

Prescriptions and Prescribing Medicines

Information on prescribing and prescriptions.

For Safety Medicines Cannot Be Reused or Recycled

As soon as a medicines leaves a pharmacy it cannot be reused or recycled. 

Where can I get information and advice about common conditions?

There are a number of valuable resources to help you to self-manage common minor conditions. 

Realistic Medicine

Realistic Medicine recognises that a one size fits all approach to health and social care is not the most effective path for you or the NHS.
Published: 03/09/2024 14:16