Sustainability in Primary Care

The NHS already has a Net Zero target launched by Sir Simon Stevens in 2020, requiring NHS organisations to achieve a zero-carbon footprint of facilities, travel, anaesthetics by 2040 and everything else by 2045.

Primary care is a huge contributor to the overall NHS carbon footprint, with the largest emissions coming from pharmaceuticals. Those working in General Practice are trusted sources of information, community members and run responsible small businesses. We show how sustainable changes often have huge co-benefits for patients and staff.  Primary care staff have the power to reduce their practice’s environmental footprint whilst improving care quality.

We all have become more aware of our effect on the environment in recent years. Many of us will have made considerable changes in our day-to-day lives but have you considered changing general practice? What if, with some simple changes you could:

  • Improve outcomes for your patients right now
  • Reduce practice demand
  • Save the practice money
  • AND help save the environment?

This PMA web workshop is intended to provide an overview for primary care staff at any level who are new to sustainable healthcare. The session will help you to understand why sustainability matters, then help you to ‘green’ your practice using case studies from primary care and offering tips and tricks for implementing sustainability improvements.

All primary care staff responsible for sustainability in their practice.

The workshop will be delivered as a virtual session.  The session is highly interactive, with plenty of activities to help attendees engage fully with the subject.

Workshop Agenda

Below is an outline of the proposed agenda with sample timings. If you have any questions please get in touch.

Welcome & Introduction

  • Programme objectives
Introduction to Sustainable Healthcare

  • What is it?
  • Why is it important?
Building a Net Zero NHS

  • How the climate emergency affects health
  • Relevance of the NHS Net Zero plan to your work
Quality improvement and environmental sustainability

  • Quality improvement and the environmental, social and financial considerations
  • Relationship between the global environmental crisis and human health
  • Risks to the healthcare system
  • Contribution of the health sector to environmental degradation
  • Principles of sustainable development to clinical practice and the consultation to create greener patient-centred care
  • Improve carbon literacy and identify carbon ‘hotspots’ in primary care
  • Implement sustainable improvements in clinical care and practice management
BREAK
Sustainable and environmentally friendly general practice

  • The carbon footprint of General Practice
  • Key Priorities for sustainability:
    • Green Impact for Health
    • Prescribing
    • Social prescribing
    • Equipment
    • Remote consultations
    • Infrastructure and premises
  • 10 Point Green Plan for Practices 2022/23
Group Exercise

In breakout groups you will share your ideas for a sustainability intervention in your setting and make plans to address it, using the range of resources, tools and methods provided.

Summary and Q&A
Close