DISTRICT health service bosses are hoping a new ‘Save it don’t waste it’ campaign will help claw back £17.6m to revive their cash-strapped budgets.

Earlier this year the district’s three local clinical commission groups revealed they had to find ways of making savings to close funding gaps between their 2016/17 annual budgets and the increasing cost of healthcare.

To help make the vital savings, NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, NHS Bradford City and NHS Bradford Districts CCGs have started a rolling campaign called 'It’s your NHS, don’t waste it', asking the public to play an active part in helping them cut costs.

In NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG the gap is £4.6m, in Bradford Districts CCG around £10.4m and in NHS Bradford City £2.6m.

The CCGs are now asking people to use pharmacies more for general health advice, to buy medicines over the counter instead of asking GPs for a prescription and to reduce waste by cancelling repeat prescriptions no longer needed.

The cost of prescriptions issued by GPs in 2015/16 was £25.8m for Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, £54.6m for Bradford Districts CCG and £16.5m for Bradford City CCG.

CCG bosses say by making those changes as part of the campaign, people will help make the most out of every pound spent on services as well as eliminating waste.

The initiative is part of a national programme to get the NHS real value for money while making every patient count.

Dr Phil Pue, chief clinical officer for NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, said: “The NHS belongs to all of us – to help it survive and achieve the required efficiencies we need to make simple but necessary changes. We know how passionate people are about the NHS and the local health services they receive so we hope they will support this campaign.”

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