Hospitals throw out £202m of drugs

Last year, 824 tons of medication was dumped by the Health Service because the use-by date had expired - costing the taxpayer around £202million.

It comes as hospitals cut jobs to save money and ration lifesaving drugs because they are not "cost-effective".

The figures were revealed by Conservative MP Grant Shapps, who looked at primary care trusts to determine the amount of waste in the NHS.

"Pills are being thrown away and medicine is being poured down the drain at an alarming rate," claimed Mr Shapps.

"While Department of Health spending has undoubtedly risen over the last five years, these increases have invariably been accompanied by disproportionately large growth in waste and inefficiency.

"The loss of one-fifth of a billion pounds from the NHS each year is a worry for us all and affects the poorest and those most in need most severely."

The figure would have paid the salaries of 15,706 nurses or bought 1,382 courses of the anti-bowel cancer drug Avastin, he added.

"When the alternative destinations for these funds are considered and viewed in light of the precarious state of NHS budget sheets, this level of waste is indeed a very bitter pill to swallow," he said.

The figures revealed County Durham PCT disposed of the greatest volume of unused drugs - 22,190 kilograms - while North Lancashire PCT threw out the highest monetary value of drugs at a cost of £9million.

It also found the average PCT spent around £1.5million last year on drugs that were later discarded.

Corin Taylor, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The bill for unused drugs is yet another example of poor management and waste in the NHS."