Thank you for your request for information about the following:

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding medicines wastage across the NHS, specifically relating to prescription medication. Please could you provide the following data for the most recent 12-month period available: 1. The estimated financial cost of wasted or unused prescription medicines across the NHS in England. 2. A breakdown, if possible, of this wastage by: o Returned or uncollected patient prescriptions o Expired or destroyed stock o Medicines disposed of in care settings (e.g. hospitals, GP practices, or community pharmacies) 3. Any internal reports, audits, or findings your organisation holds relating to medicines waste and/or medicines optimisation. 4. Whether NHSBSA utilises or recommends any digital systems to monitor or reduce prescription waste at a national level.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 7 June 2025.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

Our response

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA.

Advice and Assistance

Having reviewed your request, I believe that it is possible that NHS England may hold some or all of the information you require. They can be contacted at:

NHS England PO Box 16738 Redditch B97 9PT Telephone 0300 311 22 33 Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Web http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/foi/

Following the announcement on 13 March 2025 regarding the disbanding of NHS England, please be assured that at this time they can be contacted for information as normal. More information can be found here: NHS England

Publishing this response

Please note that this information will be published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-02909

Your personal details will be removed from the published response.