MORE than £500,000 of prescribed medicines were wasted in Wyre Forest last year.

The money would pay for 75 heart operations or 110 hip replacements - and now a campaign has been launched to combat the waste.

Tablets, creams and liquids worth a staggering £638,000 were returned unused to pharmacies in 2002, representing five per cent of what the NHS spent on medicines.

Health chiefs fear this is "just the tip of the iceberg" as many prescriptions sit untouched in bathroom cabinets.

It is illegal to re-use drugs and patients are being urged by Wyre Forest Primary Care Trust - which buys health services for the district - not to over-order medicines and to cancel a repeat prescription if they are not taking the drugs.

And the message will be reinforced in Ask About Medicines Week from October 12 to 18.

Rosie Benham, who is leading the campaign, said: "These patients are stopping other people - and maybe even themselves - having an operation.

"They might need a new hip in three years' time and there won't be any money to pay for it because all the money's been spent on medicines in their cupboard."

About 70 per cent of prescriptions are repeat prescriptions and Mrs Benham said there were two main sources of waste.

Many elderly patients hoard medicines by ordering too much either on purpose or accidentally - and repeat prescriptions for several drugs can add to the confusion.

"They might get a month's supply of one and two weeks' supply of another but when they run out they order them all again," she said.

"It's like a Second World War mentality."

Mrs Benham added: "Also there's this kind of careless attitude: 'I've contributed to the NHS all my life and it's free'."

The key is to persuade patients to "take ownership of their treatment" so they understand their drug regimes and order only what they need.

"We should give people the education and understanding about their medicines," explained Mrs Benham.

Although more money is being ploughed into the health service a lot is swallowed up by new equipment and wastage is a big issue.

"Everybody is under pressure with costs. We are having to tighten our belts and search for every penny," she said. Wyre Forest is one of a number of trusts nationwide to push the message - and schools will be a key part of the campaign.

First schools are set to take part in a poster competition while pupils from King Charles I High School in Kidderminster are involved in a project to estimate the value of medicines returned this year.

And a drama group at the school will be filming a video sketch to be distributed to surgeries to educate patients on the importance of cutting waste.

The campaign will also seek to reinforce the message by placing an expensive car in Kidderminster town centre next to piles of wasted medicines and asking people to guess which costs more.