We are urging all our patients (and their family, friends and carers) to return all unused medicines to a community pharmacy. All community pharmacies in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are prepared to accept medicines for safe disposal in March 2026.
Reasons you should return your unused medicines include:
- To prevent overdoses from (for example) curious young people, confused older people, or those who are impulsive or distressed;
- To make sure you are using effective medicines, by removing ones which have passed their use-by dates;
- To ensure you are only ever using medicine which is prescribed for your current condition.
You can download a poster for the campaign here .
Rajshri Owen is chief officer for Community Pharmacies Leicestershire and Rutland, which oversees more than 200 community pharmacies.
She said: “Community pharmacies are at the heart of patient safety. The Medicines Amnesty campaign helps ensure unused medicines are disposed of safely, reducing risk and supporting healthier communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”Mat Williams is the suicide prevention lead for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. He said: “Nationally 22% of all suicides are completed by overdoses. It is the second most common method of a person ending their life”.
“In 2023 there were 28 suicides in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland due to overdoses, and many other people will have caused themselves significant harm through overdoses which did not prove to be fatal.
“There are also risks of accidental overdoses for children, people who may be confused, or people who are impulsive or temporarily distressed.
“The risks of these events occurring is greatly reduced if no-one has a surplus of medicines at home.”