An increasing volume of unused medicines are being returned by patients at a significant cost to the NHS, Surrey pharmacists have warned.
Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it spent about £176m on medicines every year, issuing 16 million prescriptions, but that roughly 1.2 million units were returned unused at a cost of £12m.
Sharn Dev, community pharmacy PCN lead in Surrey, said: “This not only highlights the financial impact on the NHS, but also the environmental consequences of disposing of large quantities of unused medicines.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.