WASTED medication, especially from unwanted repeat prescriptions,is costing the National Health Service in Worcestershire £4 million a year.

Less waste would mean more cash to pay for a raft of life-changing operations and new medical staff to improve the standard of health care, according to Worcestershire Primary Care Trust.

The trust says the wasted cash would pay for 800 more hip replacements, 560 more heart by-pass operations, 5,600 more cataract operations, 120 more community nurses and 720 more knee replacements in Worcestershire alone.

Worcestershire is not alone - £35 million of medicine goes to waste each year across the West Midlands.

GPs and pharmacists across the West Midlands have joined forces to launch a major new campaign to tackle the problem.

One of the main concerns is medicines on repeat prescriptions which are ordered and collected by patients but are not needed because they have stopped using the drugs.

These unwanted medicines are the target of this new campaign which will help Worcestershire Primary Care Trust to save money and improve healthcare.

People with repeat prescriptions will be reminded to only order what they need. Once medicines have been prescribed they cannot be recycled and have to be thrown away - whether they've been used or not.

Patients are also being encouraged to have a regular medicine use review with their pharmacist or prescribing doctor to discuss any issues they may have with their drugs.

Another focus of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of having unused medicines lying around at home. This may be a significant danger, particularly if there are young children present.

Sheena Bescoby of Giles Pharmacy, Cranham Drive, Warndon, Worcester said unused or unwanted drugs should be taken to the pharmacy for disposal.

She added: "There are a number of reasons why medicines are going to waste, including no longer needing the drugs, but others may also be put at risk if unwanted drugs are left in the home."

Jane Freeguard, Head of Medicines Management at Worcestershire Primary Care Trust said: "Wasted medicines mean wasted money. It can't be used again and if we could save some of that money we could reinvest it in other areas of healthcare to benefit the local community."

Posters will be displayed on buses and bus shelters across the West Midlands and thousands of posters and leaflets will also be distributed to GP surgeries and pharmacies.

The campaign, which runs throughout October, will encourage people not to stockpile medicines, only to order what is needed and to take all prescription medicines with them if they are going to hospital.