NHS urges public to help cut medicines waste across Bucks, Oxon and Berks
It's estimated around 640,000 litres of medicines were waste in the last 12 months
The NHS is encouraging people in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) to play a part in reducing prescription medicines waste.
Medicines waste is estimated to cost the NHS around £300 million a year across the UK. Locally, pharmacies across the Thames Valley collected around 640,000 litres of medicines waste between August 2024 and July 2025.
Dr Meenu Paul, clinical lead for Medicines Optimisation at the BOB Integrated Care Board, said:
“Everyone has a part to play to help reduce medicines waste. This can be done by checking what medicines you have at home before asking for more – even knowing the expiry date on items in your medicine cabinet can help reduce waste.
Patients should also have regular discussions with their GP or pharmacist about their medication at their annual reviews.
And when you collect your medicines, we urge you to check your bag of medicines for items you may not have ordered or don’t need because medicines cannot be reused once they have left a pharmacy.”
She added:
“I urge everyone to help the NHS to reduce medicines waste – together we can make a difference.”
Local community pharmacist Olivier Picard, who owns three pharmacies in Berkshire, said the problem is visible in everyday practice.
“In each of my pharmacies we fill between fifteen to twenty 50 litre boxes of prescription medicines every three months, that have been returned by patients. These medicines may include tablets, capsules, inhalers, and creams that are no longer needed, have expired or were never used by patients and have to be destroyed - which is a waste of NHS money. Our advice to patients is to only order what you need.”
He also noted the potential risks and environmental impact of unused medicines in the home:
“When unused medicines build up in the home this can also create a safety risk, so we encourage patients to store medicines in a locked cabinet, where possible, and out of reach of children and even pets.
Medicines waste affects the environment too, if patients need to dispose of any unused or out of date medication these should be taken to a local pharmacy for appropriate, safe disposal.”
From September, the BOB Integrated Care Board will also be running Digital Cafés to help people use the NHS App to order prescriptions more easily.
Further information and advice on reducing medicines waste, including six short videos, is available on the BOB ICB’s StayWellBOB website.