To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, pursuant to AQW 37834/11-15, to detail the range of measures which are in place to minimise medicines and supplies wastage in each Health and Social Care Trust.

Each of the HSC Trusts has a number of measures in place to minimise medicines wastage. These include, for example, a One Stop Dispensing system whereby a patient’s own drugs are assessed and if suitable for use will be used during the hospital stay. On discharge the medicines will, if appropriate, be returned to the patient. Trust dispensed medicines not required by the patient at discharge are returned to the hospital pharmacy and are assessed for reuse. If is safe to do so they can be put back into stock and be used again. Hospital pharmacies also have measures in place to manage their stock of medicines to ensure that the volume of medicines passing their expiry date is kept to a minimum.

My Department is currently developing a Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework. One of the key challenges which the framework seeks to address is medicines wastage and the framework will set objectives for monitoring and reducing waste across various care environments. It is hoped to issue the framework for consultation early in the New Year.