COST-SAVING efficiency forms the crux of reform within the NHS to reduce waste and redirect funds to frontline patient-facing services, improving quality of care.

Leading on from this, I’d like to reach out to all patients within our community to empower them with advice on what they can do to help make our NHS more cost-efficient.

Patients are often asked to return unused medications to pharmacies.

But did you know that these unused medications, even if unopened, are disposed off through incineration?

They cannot be re-used, recycled, re-sold or even passed onto developing lower and middle-income countries to help the sickest patients in the world who live in extreme poverty.

A report by the Department of Health estimates that unused medicines cost the NHS around £300 million every year with an estimated £110 million worth of medicine returned to pharmacies, £90 million worth of unused prescriptions being stored in homes and £50 million worth of medicines disposed of by care homes.

These startling figures don’t even take into account the cost to patients’ health if medicines are not being correctly taken. If medicine is left unused, this could lead to worsening symptoms and extra treatments that could have been avoided.

£300 million cost savings could pay for 14,000 more nurses, 26,000 more drug treatment courses for breast cancer, 100,000 more hip replacements and 410,000 more cataract operations.

There’s lots of things we can all do to reduce medication waste.

Only order medications that you actually need and will use.

Try not to order early or over-order.

Ensuring you have a medication review appointment with your GP or clinical pharmacist at least once a year will help ensure you’re on the right medication and are being monitored safely.

If you have stopped taking your medication then please let your GP or pharmacist know.

Sometimes patients receive medicines they don’t actually use or use only occasionally.

This means that they can lose out on the intended health benefits of their prescription.

The reasons why patients don’t take all their medication can vary and audits have shown that around half of all the medication returned had not even been opened.

This means that patients are ordering and receiving medication that they don’t even start to use.

Unused medications kept at home are a safety risk for children and others who might take them hence returning them to a pharmacy for safe disposal is important although a system needs to be implemented that can support the recycling and redistribution of unused medications, rather than incinerating them, to improve cost efficiency and ultimately patient care and global health.

Please do not flush unused medications down the toilet.

Patients should also be encouraged to purchase certain medications, such as Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, mouthwashes, antihistamines, toothpaste, multivitamin and mineral supplements, protein-based milkshakes, moisturising creams and lotions, baby formula milk, antiseptic and anti-fungal creams, plasters and shampoos over the counter rather than request them on prescription.

Sadly, there is evidence to suggest a very small minority of patients illegally sell NHS-prescribed medications online and pocket the cash.

These commonly include weight loss injections, psychoactive substances, opioid-based pain-killers, medications used to treat erectile dysfunction and testosterone supplements which are anabolic steroids used for bodybuilding.

Medicines are not ordinary consumer goods and appropriately strict legal controls apply to their sale and supply.

Selling medicines, other than through a legitimate supply chain, is both illegal and poses unquestionable risks to the patient.

NHS fraud can result in custodial sentences imposed by the courts.

I would urge all patients to work with our NHS and use prescribing services fairly, responsibly and equitably which best serves the wider public interest.

Our columnist Dr Jason Seewoodhary is a former Worcester GP.