Excessive GP prescribing
Excess GP prescribing is almost certainly responsible for massive wastage of NHS funds, increasing antibiotic resistance, and the vast quantities of unwanted pharmaceuticals stored at home, eventually to find their […]
Search results for: prescribing
Reducing antibiotic resistance – better prescribing for less waste
It is an imperative that every possible step is made to reduce antibiotic resistance though in reality the genie is out of the bottle and, as resistance rates are already high and […]
Prescribing data to be published
The environmental impact of pharmaceutical waste is rightly a matter of concern, even if some individuals within the Environment Agency are using those concerns as an excuse or tool to […]
Drug-resistant bacteria isolated from UK wastewater treatment facilities
Researchers have isolated pathogenic, drug-resistant bacteria from wastewater treatment facilities in the UK. Drug-resistant bacteria are increasingly a public health concern as they can lead to serious illness or death, […]
Pharmaceutical drugs in York’s rivers
Scientists have found 29 different types of pharmaceutical drugs in York’s two rivers. Samples from the Foss and the Ouse contained a range of drugs – including antidepressants and antibiotics. The […]
Dumped pills are not the main source of drugs in sewage
The next time you pick up a prescription, you might notice a message on the label exhorting you not to flush leftover pills down the toilet. This advice reflects the […]
Reducing pharma waste in the community
A NEW campaign aimed at saving the NHS in south west Essex millions of pounds has recently been launched. The WASTE NOT, WANT NOT – MEDICINES WASTE campaign will tackle […]
Pharmacies to take over bulk of annual flu vaccinations
The new national pharmacy flu immunisation scheme could see pharmacists paid more than GPs to administer the vaccinations, leading to the GPC calling for a review of payments. The pharmacy […]
Fined for dumping clinical (medicines) waste
UK ‘man with a van’ is fined for dumping household refuse and unwanted prescription drugs. A man who dumped a significant stash of prescription medicines on a country lane after […]
Waste prescription drugs – still blaming patients?
Patients have been asked to help cut medicines waste, which costs Bristol £3.5 million a year. Patients and healthcare professionals in Bristol are being asked to help stop medicines going […]
UK doctors have ‘ethical duty’ to prevent waste
Nobody would disagree with the sentiment that UK doctors have and ‘ethical duty’ to prevent waste. All that is missing is the reality of lean practice and waste minimisation. “Doctors […]
NHS unveils plans to cut £300m worth of medicines waste
The NHS has unveiled plans to cut up to £300m worth of medicines waste from its budgets. Hurrah. Overprescribing is the problem. Too quick with the pen to write a […]
High cost of island healthcare waste disposal
Six figure bill for destroying healthcare waste It has recently been reported that it costs NHS Shetland £150,000 a year to ship medical waste south for destruction – enough to pay […]
Cutting medicines waste through prescription control
What a novel concept! Fortunately, we have taken steps to shift the focus of attention, and bring forward the implementation of some controls, though there is a long way to go! […]
Pharmaceutical residues from clinical wastes?
Regulators and those who follow on their every word continue to be exercised by the question of pharmaceutical residues from clinical wastes. Of course, bulk pharmaceutical wastes from the pharmacy department or […]
National drug take-back day
The US is to hold its fifth national drug take-back day on Saturday April 27, from 10 am to 2 pm. Organised by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), this is […]
Medicines waste – the tip of a very large iceberg
The Guardian reports of the approximately £150 million of medicines returned to pharmacists each year that are “wasted” and destroyed by incineration rather than re-issued. It is, of course, a tale of […]
Anibiotics in the environment
We have discussed on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum, over many years, the problem of drug residues in the environment. It is an issue in which we stand very much […]
Antibiotic exposure and environmental contamination
The head of the World Health Organisation has recently warned about antibiotic resistance caused by prodigal use of drugs on factory farms: “Greater quantities of antibiotics are used in healthy animals […]
Recycling unwanted medicines
There are several ways to reduce the NHS expenditure associated with unwanted prescriptions. Control of prescribing, and the uncontrolled issue of repeat prescriptions, are perhaps the most appropriate control measures though […]
Medicines wastage
The prescribing of unnecessary and unwanted medicines places a substantial and unwelcome pressure of healthcare costs, stockpiles drugs in bathroom cabinets that increases the risk of self-harm or accidental poisoning, and bears […]
NHS Isle of Wight drug waste reduction
Drug wastage across the NHS is a massive and costly problem that has a profound impact on environmental contamination and disposal practice. We have discussed the problem previously on the […]
Reducing pharma waste
Cutting costs and reducing waste have been a primary focus for healthcare facilities in the years since the recession hit, prompting many to look into implementing pharmacy process improvement. US […]
It’s all your fault!
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. […]
Pharmaceutical waste management
Whether the waste from pharmaceutical R&D, manufacturing, stocking and over-stocking in pharmacies, over-prescribing or patient non-compliance, there is a great need to minimise pharmaceutical waste. The combined aims must be […]
Prescription drug round-up collects over 250,000 pills
It’s easy done, and very effective. Though there is rapidly increasing concern about teh presence of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater, and thereby in natural waters, little seems to be done […]
Medicine drop boxes
Medicine drop boxes may be a practical option for the disposal of unwanted medicinal products. Sited in convenient locations, they would receive prescription and non-prescription products removing wastes accumulating in […]
More prescriptions, more waste
Scotland’s GPs are complaining that the free prescription policy in Scotland puts on them extra pressure with patients wanting their free prescription for this, that and the other. Last updated: […]
Superbugs escape through hospital sewers
Antibiotic-resistant pathogens born in hospitals may enter the wider environment through the facilities’ sewers, although the magnitude of the danger remains unclear. A team from the Federal University of Saõ […]
Clean out your medicine cabinet
On the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum, we have repeatedly made reference to the local and regional collection schemes for hazardous household waste that collect from householders sharps waste, some clinical […]