Unused repeat prescriptions in Wiltshire costing NHS £2.7m every year
RESIDENTS in Wiltshire are being urged to only collect medication they need, as wasted unused prescriptions in the county are costing the NHS £2.7m every year.
NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is asking people to review their current repeat prescriptions to see if all items listen on them are still required.
Recent figures show that one in 15 prescriptions ordered are not needed.
In Wiltshire, more than 450,000 prescription items are dispensed each month, with an average cost of one item currently calculated as £7.58.
For any items returned unused, Wiltshire CCG have to spend around £42,000 each year collecting and incinerating them as they cannot be used again, even if unopened.
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