Only Order What You Need

CPL&R  supported the delivery of the LLR Medicines Waste Campaign – Only Order What You Need, in partnership with the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board. The campaign sought to reduce unnecessary medicines waste and encourage patients to order only the medicines they need. Through contractor engagement, promotional materials and community pharmacy participation, the campaign helped raise awareness of the significant impact of medicines waste across the region, where more than six million medicine items costing almost £3 million are over-ordered each year.

The initiative demonstrated the important role community pharmacy can play in supporting NHS sustainability, improving patient understanding and reducing avoidable healthcare costs.

Campaign Focus: Three Simple Actions

We asked participating community pharmacy teams to encourage patients to:

1. Community Pharmacy to display the campaign poster from 16th June to 4th August 2025 – all LLR Community Pharmacies are asked to display the campaign poster in a visible area for the duration of the campaign. Pharmacy Poster

2. Only order what they need when requesting repeat prescriptions – ideally through the NHS App or by contacting their practice directly.

3. Check their prescription bag before leaving the pharmacy and return anything they no longer require.

4. Encourage suitable patients to use the NHS App for reordering their prescriptions.

Who Is It For?

The campaign was aimed at:

• People on repeat prescriptions

• Patients with long-term conditions (e.g., asthma, diabetes)

• Older people, carers, and parents of children on regular medication

• Seldom-heard groups, diverse communities, and deprived areas

• Pharmacy staff, GPs, ANPs, and other prescribers

• Patient forums and community groups

Why It Matters:

• Stay Well – Expired or unneeded medicines may not work as intended.

• Stay Safe – Stockpiling increases risks, especially around children and pets.

• Stay Green – Medicines can’t be recycled once dispensed; safe disposal helps protect our environment.

How It Will Be Delivered:

This is a multi-modal communications campaign, using:

• Community pharmacies

• GP practices

• Digital channels (e.g. NHS App, social media)

• Community groups and forums

Together, let’s help reduce medicines waste, protect NHS resources, and empower patients to take greater control of their health.

Stay Well	Stay Safe	Stay Green
Unused medicines expire and might not work as intended, meaning your care might be compromised Stockpiling medicines worsens drug shortages	Stockpiles of medicines kept at home can be dangerous for children and pets Medicines are only prescribed for you and for safety’s sake should not be shared with anyone else	When you dispose of medicines properly, by handing them in to your pharmacy, you are helping to make sure that waste medicines do not pollute our rivers and seas Only ordering what you need means that you are helping the environment because once medicines have left the pharmacy, they cannot be recycled or used by anyone else.

To access the Pharmacy Poster that will need to be displayed in your pharmacy please click here Pharmacy Poster

Other Resources can be found below:

Printable Cards

OOWYN Community Pharmacy  Pre Launch Presentation 

Partner toolkit – LLR HWP

For more Information including additional resources : Medicines waste – LLR ICB

This campaign is now completed

If you are a community pharmacy based in LLR and have completed the above campaign, please complete the declaration below