Disposing needles

5 posts, 3 contributors

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Dyonisus DAFNE Graduate
South West Essex PCT
9 posts

Once upon a time, a man finished a Dafne course. He was told he could get a box at his local surgery to incinerate the sharps on prescription. Unfortunately, his GP was away on holiday. She was replaced by a fellow colleague.
The letter from the Dafne educators, requesting it just arrived in time, at the surgery, when this man was speaking to the GP.
He was told he box was not available under prescription and would have to pay for it.
The man decided not to pay £ 7.00 and search the internet for cheaper alternatives.
He found different sizes and prices to match, but could not make he's mind up.
On a trip to his local hospital, he asked if He could dispose the content of sharps in the paper bag.
He was told by a nurse that she could not handle in the bag because she could get injured.
The man replied how could this be, as He was grabbing the bag.
To what the nurse replied: yes, but is just you.
The man walked away and decided to chuck the paper bag and it's content in the nearest rubbish bin.
As He done so, He thought is conscience was clear. He could not believe that inside the hospital no one would accept that bag unless it was in £ 7.00 box.
The moral of the story here is, in order to dispose rubbish you have to create more rubbish.

Good night and good luck!

Dyonisus

geordiesgirl DAFNE Graduate
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
16 posts

You can get plastic sharp containers on prescription. Once full return it to the surgery and they will dispose of it. Some areas if you phone the council they will collect your full containers from your home and replace it with an empty one.

Dyonisus DAFNE Graduate
South West Essex PCT
9 posts

Tell that to the newvy GP fresh out of UNi, who goes by the book. Is not about saving money or pestering my GP for a freebie on prescription, is about creating unnecessary waste.
Is cheaper to burn a paper bag than a plastic container.
Anyway, for the price given at the surgery, I can get a bin with 3 times the capacity for a fraction in Amazon( free delivery).
Another question springs to mind: how many litres of waste a surgery or Council cope with?
I can carry 5 to 10 litres to my local surgery, will they accept it?
If they can not be bothered to collect, neither can I.
Out of sight, out of mind!

Kind Regards

D.

alturn DAFNE Graduate
NHS Grampian
78 posts

I live in NE Scotland and local pharmacy now supplies sharps bins and disposes of used bins, so no need for prescription. This change occurred within about last 2 years. Suspect different regions on NHS have different policies. However I use it for lancets and strips as I clip my needles and dispose of the clipper in the sharps bin.

Dyonisus DAFNE Graduate
South West Essex PCT
9 posts

Good for you!
Let's hope the hard of hearing in this part of the Country listen to common sense and this Island will soon be a much cleaner land.
I read on the paper no long ago, that Essex was the County worst managed when it came to diabetes.
As well as you know, We may have "The SUN" alas, little else!

D.