Pharmacy teams at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are issuing an urgent appeal to staff across hospitals, wards and healthcare settings to return tote boxes and Envopaks used to transport medicines from the Centralised Pharmacy Distribution Centre.
The distribution centre supplies medicines to more than 1,070 locations and dispatches up to 100,000 medicine packs each week, depending on seasonal demand.
To ensure medicines can be transported safely and securely, orders are sent out in specially designed tote boxes and Envopaks, which are used to carry medicines to comply with safe and secure medicines handling requirements. However, the service is currently experiencing significant shortages because large numbers of containers are not being returned.
Approximately 7500 tote boxes and 800 Envopaks are issued very week – however nearly one-third, or around 2250 totes and 240 Envopaks, are not returned through the normal collection process.
This not only creates significant replacement costs, but also threatens the pharmacy distribution service’s ability to operate effectively. If sufficient tote boxes and Envopaks are unavailable, pharmacy teams may be unable to package and transport medicines in accordance with safe and secure medicines handling requirements, potentially disrupting supplies to hospitals, wards and community healthcare settings.
Each Envopak costs more than £34 to replace, excluding VAT and delivery charges, while every tote box costs more than £6. With thousands of containers circulating across the health board at any one time, replacement costs can quickly add up.
Pharmacy colleagues are therefore asking all staff to check their areas and return any tote boxes or Envopaks that may have been set aside, stored in cupboards or overlooked after deliveries have been unpacked.
They are also reminding staff of the importance of ensuring containers are returned promptly following every delivery.
Michelle Stevenson, Chief Pharmacy Technician, said: “This situation has become a matter of real concern for the service. Every tote box and Envopak is part of a supply chain that ensures medicines reach patients safely, securely and on time.
“When these containers are not returned, it reduces our ability to send out further orders and puts additional pressure on teams who are already managing a complex operation.
“If the current trend continues, there is a genuine risk that shortages of tote boxes and Envopaks could begin to affect our ability to distribute medicines in line with safe and secure handling requirements.
“At a time when we are delivering up to 100,000 medicine packs each week, we simply cannot afford for these containers to go missing.
“We are asking all colleagues to take a few minutes to check cupboards, storage rooms, clinical areas and other locations where tote boxes or Envopaks may have been set aside and arrange for them to be returned as soon as possible.
“Just as importantly, we would ask everyone who receives a medicines delivery to make sure these containers are routinely returned after use. “
Staff who identify tote boxes or Envopaks in their area are asked to arrange for them to be returned through their usual pharmacy collection processes.
Together, these small actions can make a major difference in helping pharmacy teams continue delivering medicines safely, securely and without interruption and protect a service that thousands of patients rely on every day.
