PrescQIPP

Care Home Medicines Wastage Programme (2025)

North Central London Integrated Care Board

Project summary

It has been estimated £300 million of NHS prescribed medicines are wasted each year and a recent research report has highlighted the residential and care home sector as a significant contributor to medicines waste in the NHS in England, accounting for around £50m of this amount. A programme is in operation to support the reduction of medicines waste in NCL care homes. Initial audit pilots were undertaken in Barnet Borough and Camden Borough (October 22- July 23 in 29 Barnet care homes and July 24- September 24 in 4 care homes). The pilot projects showed that we saved on average £1260 per care home on average. Therefore, if we complete this work across all remaining care homes in NCL then savings of circa £225k could be achieved. We are currently in the process of auditing the remaining care homes across all 5 boroughs of Camden, Islington, Haringey, Enfield and Barnet.

The aims of the programme include:

  • Reducing spend on unused medications which are returned unnecessarily.
  • Reducing the time spent ordering and dispensing replacement items that have not been administered.
  • Contributing to the NHS Green Agenda by reducing pharmaceutical waste in care homes.
  • Reducing polypharmacy and potentially improving patient safety by identifying medications that may be being refused by the resident or are no longer required and alerting the prescriber for review.
  • Creating educational resources to support the efficient and sustainable management of medicines waste in care homes and disseminate this learning to both care homes and GP practices via online education sessions and webinars.

The project involves: 

  1. Conducting audits of the medicines waste in NCL care homes. The audit focus is on medicines waste only and does not involve the clinical review of the patient’s other medication.
  2. Implementing a wider programme of awareness and learning to encourage a sustained reduction of medicines waste in care homes through education and training and system partnership working.