HEALTH bosses have launched a new campaign to stop people wasting money on medication they don’t need.

The message is being sent out on flyers, posters and banners in doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies and on buses, in an attempt to save £5million a year.

The campaign was launched by new NHS North East Essex chief executive, Sheila Brenham.

She said: “This is my first big campaign as chief executive and a very important one. We want people to take a different approach to getting medicine and only get prescriptions they really need.

“Not only is wasted medicine costing the NHS millions every year, it is also dangerous stockpiling medicines in cupboards where it could be picked up by young children.”

Every day, patients return around four large boxes of unwanted medicines which then have to be thrown away.

Money saved could be used to provide 2,000 hip and knee replacements, 1,400 heart operations, or 330 treatment courses for breast cancer.