Pharmaceutical Waste
The Board currently operates a single service for the collection and uplift of patients’ returned medicines (pharmaceutical waste) from Community Pharmacies. Pharmaceutical Waste is collected from Community Pharmacies either every three months or every two months (for Health Centre pharmacies only).
Where an AD HOC uplift (an additional uplift out with the agreed schedule) is required for any reason, the Pharmacist (or their representative) must contact the Community Pharmacy Development Team via email (ggc.cpdevteam@nhs.scot) to make arrangements. Our Team will agree a collection date with the waste Contractors and inform the pharmacy of this date.
The Pharmacy will be responsible for ensuring the following:
- ALL patient returned medicines (pharmaceutical waste) is securely packed i.e. unit is sealed, identified and in a secure location;
- NO cardboard, or paper is added to the bins (packaging that can be recycled);
- NO out-of-date stock is added to the bins, unless it is out-of-date patient returned medication.
Please click here for a list of what should and should not be put into the pharmaceutical waste bins. Please print and display as a reference document for all pharmacy staff.
Any questions regarding collection schedules, AD HOC requests, or any other pharmaceutical waste queries, should be directed to the CPDEV Team mailbox (ggc.cpdevteam@nhs.scot).
Sharps Bins Disposal
Patients should be advised that their used sharps bins should be returned to the patients’ GP Practice, independent of their source. The only exception to this would be those sharps containers used in Needle Exchange, who have their own service arrangements.
We would ask all Board Community Pharmacies to continue to advise CPDT when faced with patients attempting to incorrectly return used sharps bins via our ggc.cpdevteam@nhs.scot mailbox - providing some information on where the patient got the incorrect advice from i.e. which hospital/ward/clinic.
We will then contact the aforementioned service and advise them on the correct procedures for patient disposal of the bins.
Following your recent feedback, we have so far contacted the following areas to re-iterate the correct disposal information to them:
- GP Practice Managers Forum
- Obstetrics Department at GRI
- Midwifery
- HSCP Health Visitors
We would like to thank you once again for your continued co-operation.
Please click here for NHSGGC Area Drug & Therapeutics Committee guidance.