Who is responsible for pharmaceutical wastes? For high costs of supply crippling NHS budgets? For drug residues in the environment? Well, if you live in NE Scotland, it’s probably yours.

Speaking to the Kirriemuir Herald, Dr Michelle Watts, NHS Tayside associate medical director for primary care, said, “Medicines waste is a serious and growing problem for NHS Tayside. Sometimes patients or carers order repeat prescriptions they don’t really need and stockpile them at home. “

“People throughout Tayside are being asked to think before they order repeat prescriptions to reduce the amount of wasted medication during Medicines Waste Awareness Week (October 24 to 30).

“A week-long roadshow to support the campaign will make its first stop at Ninewells where pharmacy staff and volunteers will be on hand to give information on how to dispose of unwanted medication properly and advice on only ordering what you actually need from repeat prescriptions.

Well, we at the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum support that view, and would go further to consider the environmental impact of unwanted medicines disposal too. But to put the onus on patients who must not ask for repeat prescriptions takes the biscuit. What on earth happened to responsible prescribing?

No doubt the GPs will tell of their vast workload, though the cynical amongst us would expect that that workload hiatus might surprisingly be resolved by a generous salary uplift!

GPs were not taught to hand out any prescription without properly assessing clinical need and balancing that against safety and cost. To take a dereliction of duty and blame patients for over-prescribing and bad medicines control is simply outrageous.