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FPRG Newsletter No 12
Including Finchampstead Surgery News
Autumn 2019
Including Finchampstead Surgery News
Autumn 2019
Wasted Medicines Survey – a £300m problem UK wide
Welcome to our autumn newsletter which largely deals with the results of the Wasted Medicines Survey conducted in September. Only 133 FPRG members completed the survey and this does not compare well with the 211 who completed the missed patient appointments survey conducted earlier in the year. We do not know what has caused the numbers to drop but, we are considering sending an email to all members asking them to confirm their ongoing interest in being members of the FPRG.
With regard to the survey, the NHS identified the problem with wasted medicines and says it costs more than £300m a year; see http://www.medicinewaste.com for further information. The aim of our survey was to find out how much awareness and understanding Finch patients have of medication usage in relation to the waste of medicine and how well they dispose of unwanted medication. There are some improvements to be made but in general the participants did very well.
With regard to the survey, the NHS identified the problem with wasted medicines and says it costs more than £300m a year; see http://www.medicinewaste.com for further information. The aim of our survey was to find out how much awareness and understanding Finch patients have of medication usage in relation to the waste of medicine and how well they dispose of unwanted medication. There are some improvements to be made but in general the participants did very well.
What did the survey tell us?
Of our patient sample, 55.5% usually order their repeat prescriptions online using ‘Patient Access’ or by email. However, nearly 46% ordered their prescriptions by hand at the Surgery.
When asked ‘Do you order ALL the items on each repeat prescription request form?’ The majority, 72% of respondents, said that they do not order all the items on their prescription. 80% of 128 respondents who completed the question said that it had been explained to them by a professional exactly why each medication was on their repeat prescription form and 72% said that the possible side effects of both taking and not taking their regular medication also had been explained to them. Regarding getting a regular health check/review, 74% said that they did.
All respondents were aware that prescription medicines should only be taken or used by the person for whom they were prescribed and knew that once they have left the pharmacy they cannot be reused for anyone else. Only 15% paid for their prescription which is reflected in the age of those taking the survey. Of these patients only 29% were below 64 years old.
How do our members get rid of their unwanted medicines? The majority took them to a pharmacy but 25% disposed of them in unapproved ways! Finally, the gender of our respondents was 53% female and 47% male.
When asked ‘Do you order ALL the items on each repeat prescription request form?’ The majority, 72% of respondents, said that they do not order all the items on their prescription. 80% of 128 respondents who completed the question said that it had been explained to them by a professional exactly why each medication was on their repeat prescription form and 72% said that the possible side effects of both taking and not taking their regular medication also had been explained to them. Regarding getting a regular health check/review, 74% said that they did.
All respondents were aware that prescription medicines should only be taken or used by the person for whom they were prescribed and knew that once they have left the pharmacy they cannot be reused for anyone else. Only 15% paid for their prescription which is reflected in the age of those taking the survey. Of these patients only 29% were below 64 years old.
How do our members get rid of their unwanted medicines? The majority took them to a pharmacy but 25% disposed of them in unapproved ways! Finally, the gender of our respondents was 53% female and 47% male.
Summary
It seems that the majority of FPRG respondents have regular health checks, know very well the medicines they are taking and how to dispose of them. However, judging by the responses to questions it is possible that between 20% and 26% of patients don’t know why they are taking a medicine or the effects of not taking it and are not regularly reviewed. If this is replicated across the 16,000 patients in the surgery, it is a large number of patients and may be of concern to the medical and pharmacy staff.
However, patients should note that on the paper record of their prescription, there is a review date at which time the prescriber would like to review the treatment (see the photograph). It is up to the patient to make an appointment on or after the review date shown. Also Finchampstead Patients Reference Group everyone should note that there is only one safe way to dispose of meds and that is to take them to a pharmacy for disposal.
Commenting on the survey Julie Murphy, the Practice Manager, said: We thank the FPRG for conducting this survey, the results will be discussed with all of our staff and we will continue to promote the safe use of medicines.
However, patients should note that on the paper record of their prescription, there is a review date at which time the prescriber would like to review the treatment (see the photograph). It is up to the patient to make an appointment on or after the review date shown. Also Finchampstead Patients Reference Group everyone should note that there is only one safe way to dispose of meds and that is to take them to a pharmacy for disposal.
Commenting on the survey Julie Murphy, the Practice Manager, said: We thank the FPRG for conducting this survey, the results will be discussed with all of our staff and we will continue to promote the safe use of medicines.
Finchampstead Surgery, 474 Finchampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 3RG
Telephone: 0118 973 2678
Email address: ppg.finchampstead@nhs.net
Newsletter Editor: Peter Odds
If you do not wish to receive future newsletters or no longer wish to be a member of the FPRG please send an email titled ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ to ppg.finchampstead@nhs.net or contact us via the Surgery.