A Somerset medical practice has saved nearly £280,000 through a campaign to cut down on wasted prescriptions.
Frome Medical Practice launched the Order What You Need scheme to encourage patients to request only the medications they use, helping to reduce unnecessary prescribing, improve patient safety, and limit environmental harm.
The campaign led to a 22,278-item reduction in prescriptions over 12 months, saving £278,968 and preventing 122 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Dr Helen Kingston, Dr Neha Bhagi, and Dr Angus Lean, who have led the campaign, said: "We think our focus on preventing harm, and avoiding over medicalisation and prescribing, has really helped us to be able to see what medication is being used and not used by our patients; helping us move to a much safer space.
"It's also about empowering patients to take control, understand their medications better and for us to facilitate those discussions."
The doctors highlighted how regular medication reviews by pharmacists have helped identify drugs patients no longer take or were reordering more often than needed.
A particular concern was the overuse of asthma inhalers.
The doctors said: "For example, there were lots of patients who appeared to be overusing salbutamol, an inhaler used to control asthma."
"When you asked patient, you might find they have a drawer full of these inhalers at home, or you would find a care home was ordering repeat prescriptions every month, whether it was needed or not."
Frome Medical Practice now routinely reviews patients using more than five or six inhalers per year and holds multidisciplinary meetings to address overuse and ensure those patients receive the right respiratory care.
The doctors said the campaign is a "whole team approach," involving pharmacists, digital support, and GPs working together to review medications in care homes and help patients use the NHS App for repeat prescriptions.
The wider impact of medicines waste is significant, with the NHS spending around £10.3 billion annually on GP prescriptions.
Somerset alone dispenses 30,000 prescription items each day - costing more than £300,000 daily - and wastes an estimated £5m in unused medicines every year.
Incorrect disposal of medication can also pollute waterways, coastlines and ecosystems.
NHS Somerset is benchmarked as the highest in the country for reducing inappropriate over-prescribing.
To reduce waste, the NHS advises patients to only order what they need, check medicines before leaving the pharmacy, speak to a GP or pharmacist about any medication no longer taken, and to return unused medicines to a pharmacy.
Unused medicines should never be binned or flushed.
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