NHS Takes a Stand Against Medicine Wastage with MAG Ad Campaign

Media Agency Group's outdoor advertising specialist sub-division, Out of Home International, is pleased to announce a new two week advertising campaign with the National Health Service in South East London. Developed by the South East Commissioning Support Unit's creative and digital team, this latest ad campaign with the NHS is encouraging the public to inform their GP, pharmacist or nurse if they are not using the medicines that they have been prescribed in an effort to reduce medicine wastage in the region. 48 sheet billboards and 6 sheet bus shelter roadside ads are on show in Bromley, Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark.

The billboard and outdoor advertisments inform residents that medicine waste costs around £9 million in South East London every year, encouraging NHS patients to only order what medication they need, and informing them of the importance of letting a medical professional know if they are not using their prescriptions. Eye-catching in their design, the billboards are sure to be noticed by residents in London, while the bus shelter-based 6 sheet advertisements will also attract the attention of drivers and pedestrians in a busy city environment.

The 'It's Okay to Ask About Medicines' campaign aims to also highlight the risk to patients of not using their medicines properly, and is being supported on social media with the hashtag #itsokaytoask. In Lambeth alone, the estimated annual cost of medicine waste is £1.7 million. The NHS suggests that unused medicines should be returned to a local pharmacy and encourages patients on repeat prescriptions to order medicines responsibly.

Managing Director of Media Agency Group, John Kehoe, said: "It's great to be working with the NHS on this latest outdoor ad campaign, which features a range of out of home ad formats on the streets of South East London. Medicine wastage is a major problem in the UK so it's fantastic to be doing our part to encourage a positive change to help keep costs down. We're confident that the campaign will be a huge success for both the NHS and Media Agency Group."