- Jersey patients reminded to consider whether or not they need repeat prescriptions
- More than £250,000 worth of unwanted drugs were handed in last year
- Drugs included a painkiller that had been withdrawn because it was too toxic
- Do doctors prescribe drugs too easily? Take part in our poll below
PATIENTS are being urged to consider whether they need repeat prescriptions, after it emerged that an estimated £250,000 worth of unwanted drugs were handed in during a two-week States programme last year.
The prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicine, which were collected of as part of a scheme run by Social Security, filled 120 large bin bags.
The medicines included a painkiller that was withdrawn from the market about eight years ago because of concerns over its toxicity, eight unopened packs of eye drops and £200 worth of unopened nerve pain medicine.
Paul McManus, the prescribing adviser for the States, said: ‘Around 90-95% of the items handed in originated from prescription medicines, which were funded by the States.
‘It is quite disappointing as it is quite a sizeable sum of money that is being wasted. It could be put towards new medicines that are coming out and generally improving efficiency within the prescription system.
‘When you think that people have these kind of things in their cupboards at home, it is quite worrying. This is particularly the case with the elderly and young who are more vulnerable and could take medicines like this by mistake.’
Mr McManus added: ‘There are measures in place already to prevent waste. Prescriptions are generally limited to last a month at a time apart from in the case of some serious diseases such as epilepsy.’
Following the success of the scheme, a second programme is being launched which will see posters put up in pharmacies and GP surgeries, aiming to make Islanders consider whether their prescription is necessary.
Flyers will also be given out and advice will be shared on social media.
Social Security Minister Susie Pinel said: ‘Around 70% of all the medicines dispensed at pharmacies are repeat prescriptions. If we all change the way in which we think about repeat prescriptions and ask ourselves whether we need them or not, then we will be able to reduce the amount of medicine that’s wasted.’
Although the first phase of the scheme has now finished, Islanders are reminded that they are still able to hand in unused and unwanted medicines into pharmacies around Jersey for safe disposal.
PRESCRIPTION charges were scrapped in a late Christmas present for Islanders in December, 2007.
Up to then, prescriptions were already heavily subsidised by the States under the Health Insurance Fund – but from February 2008 Islanders have not had to contribute a penny.
Before the change, Islanders paid £2.5m for GP-prescribed medicine every year, with the States subsidising prescriptions to the tune of £11m.
The Social Security Minister at the time, Paul Routier, said that the high balance in the Health Insurance Fund means he was able to make a formal ministerial decision to scrap prescription charges. .
The power to vary prescription charges came under Senator Routier’s remit as minister so there did not have to be a States decision on the change.
‘We looked at the state of the fund and we realised we could cover the whole cost of the prescription,’ he said.
‘The fund had been building up over a number of years in preparation for the ageing population, and it has been performing quite well.’
