A campaign has been launched to try to reduce the amount of unused medicines which costs the NHS around £300 million a year.

Suffolk and Essex NHS used social media, videos and posters to encourage people to return unused prescriptions to pharmacies and not store or throw them away.

In the UK, an estimated £100 million of medicines are returned to pharmacies, but a further £90 million of unused prescription medicines are stored at home.

Tania Farrow, who is leading the campaign on behalf of NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said: “We really want to make an impact by reducing the amount of unused medicines we waste. »

Ms Farrow told BBC Essex the campaign aimed to “highlight what we can all do to make sure we use medicines correctly”.

She added: “This is an issue where patients, GPs, pharmacists and hospitals can all work together to make a difference.

“We know that some patients like to have a spare supply of medications ‘just in case,’ but we recommend only having a maximum of one month’s supply at home.”

An NHS spokesperson said unused medicines would cost the health service around £300m a year.

They advise patients to “avoid stockpiling”, which would help manage drug shortages.

Patients should check their stock first and not reorder their medications until they have “about two weeks” left.

Unused medicines could also have a negative impact on the environment if thrown away. They must be returned to a pharmacy for disposal.

Medicines returned to the pharmacy cannot be reused for other patients even if they are unopened, for safety reasons.