Antibiotic Amnesty

An Antibiotic Amnesty is being held this November throughout the entire Midlands. The amnesty begins on Wednesday 1 November 2023 and ends on Thursday 30 November 2023.

We are encouraging members of the public, as well as health and social care staff, to return old or unused antibiotics to their nearest pharmacy. Safely disposing of old or unused antibiotics via a local pharmacy will help to keep antibiotics working, tackling the rise of antibiotic resistance.

The overuse of antibiotics has led to the rise of antibiotic resistance. This is when the drug no longer works on the bugs it is trying to kill.

The more antibiotics are used, the less effective they become at stopping bacteria, and the less they work at making us better when we need them, such as during cancer treatment, caesarean section and routine surgery.

Saving unused or unwanted antibiotics for later can be harmful, unless instructed to by a healthcare professional. Not all antibiotics treat every kind of infection, and it is unlikely that the antibiotics saved will be the correct choice when feeling unwell later. Even if the antibiotic is the right treatment, the amount of antibiotic saved may not be enough to treat another episode of illness effectively.

Find out more on the NHS Birmingham and Solihull website.