Impact of promoting ‘Only order what you need’ and ceasing pharmacy-initiated managed repeats in a large general practice

Background Prescribing is responsible for over half of carbon emissions in primary care. Strategies to reduce unnecessary medication use are therefore important in supporting the delivery of a net-zero National Health Service (NHS). Methods We ceased to accept pharmacy-managed repeat prescriptions and undertook a patient education campaign to order only the medication they needed. Results The intervention was associated with a saving of £165 957 and 5350 fewer prescribed items over a 7-month period. This equated to estimated emissions savings of 96 421 kgCO2e. Conclusions A well-planned campaign to move away from pharmacy-managed repeat prescriptions to patient-initiated requests can reduce prescribing costs and support the NHS journey to net zero.