Taskforce to tackle £300m in wasted medicines
pharmafile | August 9, 2011 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Lord Howe, NHS, medinces management
A task force has been set up to tackle medicine wastage in the NHS – a problem which, the government says, costs £300 million a year.
In addition to this eye-watering sum, health minister Lord Howe says £500 million more a year is lost because patients are not taking their medicines properly and therefore do not get the full health benefit from them.
“We want to look at how patients can make the most of the medicines they take,” said health minister Lord Howe. “This isn’t just about saving money – most importantly, it is about making sure that patients stay well and get the best outcomes from their medicines.”
The Steering Group to Improve the Use of Medicines is due to make its first report early next year.
Co-chaired by National Voices trustee Robert Johnstone and Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott, part of its remit will be to identify how people can be better supported in taking their medicines.
More than 900 million prescription items were dispensed last year, with patients increasingly being treated at home, and the government says at least half the wastage is “avoidable”.
“Every pound wasted is a pound that could be spent on treating patients,” says Lord Howe. “By reducing medicine wastage the NHS will save money that can be spent in other areas of patient care.
“There are lots of good ideas around for how health professionals can provide better support for patients and the public to help them use their medicines more effectively,” added Darracott.
“What the NHS needs now is a real plan for embedding those ideas in systems that historically have been more concerned with the product than the person,” he added.
“Managing repeat prescribing better and providing patients with adequate and appropriate information should help,” says
Johnstone.
To coincide with the announcement, the Department of Health has also published a report, Making Best Use of Medicines.
Adam Hill
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