Pharmacies provide relief for Hutt Valley and Wgtn patients

28 January 2015

Pharmacies provide sharp relief for Hutt Valley and Wellington patients

Patients can now dispose of used needles more conveniently and safely, thanks to a new disposal scheme funded by the Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast district health boards.

Since December 2014, patients who use needles to receive medication like insulin or chemotherapy at home can now safely dispose their used sharps at 92 pharmacies across the greater Wellington region, which are then collected by medical waste disposal company Interwaste.

Diabetes nurse specialist Julie Bate says there’s been considerable demand for this type of scheme from patients who regularly use needles at home to manage their diabetes or other health conditions.

“In the past they had to bring them back to the hospital, so it will be more convenient to dispose of their used needles safely at their local pharmacy.

“We hope that it will also reduce the number of used needles appearing in unwanted places, like household rubbish and recycling bins,” she says.

Patients are welcome to transport their sharps to pharmacies inside suitably tough plastic containers, like those used for bleach or dishwashing powder. Pharmacies taking part in the scheme will also sell personal sharps containers to patients who need them.

Pharmacist Graeme Blanchard of Waitangirua Pharmacy says the waste disposal scheme is a great step forward for his customers, around 300 of which treat their diabetes from home. The biggest difference will be made in waste reduction, he says.

“A lot of people appreciate it. Some of them just wouldn’t bother to go to hospital, it would be such an obstacle for them that most of their sharps would just get thrown away.”

“Not having those sharps around the house also keeps it safe for the rest of the family, because a lot of these people would have kids or grandkids,” he says.

Local patient Debbie manages her diabetes from home and says the new scheme makes it much easier to get rid of her used sharps safely.

“Being able to dispose of them at my local chemist means they’re not piling up at home anymore, waiting for me to do something about them,” she says.

This collaborative scheme between the Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs builds on an existing loan-system for sharps containers developed by Hutt Hospital, and was driven by positive feedback from patients and pharmacists for more community-based services.

ENDS

© Scoop Media