RESIDENTS in East Renfrewshire are being urged to reduce prescription waste as a big bill is putting key services at risk of more cuts. Health chiefs want people to check their prescriptions, only order what they need and consider whether they can afford to buy medication, like paracetamol, which is available over the counter. A campaign has been launched by the area’s health and social care partnership (HSCP) — which pays for every prescription written in East Renfrewshire — as a £3m overspend is expected in the prescribing budget this year.
Overall, the HSCP needs to plug an almost £12m funding shortfall in 2024/25 — and reducing the prescribing bill, by cutting waste, is seen as an essential move to protect frontline services. Plans to save cash so far have seen social care support prioritised to those in ‘substantial or critical’ need only. Figures from an NHS England national overprescribing review report in September 2021 showed around 10% of medicines are thrown away because they’re not needed or haven’t been taken.
A survey by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde found more than a third of people said they always, often or sometimes kept a greater supply of medicines than they needed at home while 41% also said they always, often or sometimes ordered a resupply before the due date. East Renfrewshire’s HSCP has reported it is spending over six figures on prescriptions for over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and antihistamines. These c.