Green Impact for Health

Beaumont Elms Practice is delighted to be signed up to the Green Impact for Health Toolkit. We are actively taking steps to improve our carbon footprint. In October 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change. The “Delivering a Net Zero Health Service” report sets out a clear ambition and two evidence-based targets. 

The climate emergency is also a health emergency, and health care in the UK contributes 4-5% of the UK’s carbon emissions. We need to enhance the health of today’s population without compromising the health of future generations, and this means operating within the sustainable boundaries of the planet. Fortunately, most of the solutions for the planet also make our health better – for example eating a mainly plant-based diet, engaging in active travel and exercise in nature, avoiding smoking, reducing pollution etc. These all enhance our health and reduce our need for medications, with further benefits to the NHS, your health and the carbon footprint of healthcare.

As part of our efforts to reduce our and our patients' carbon footprint we carry out more telephone and online consultations. We prioritise more environmentally friendly ‘dry powder’ inhaler prescribing. We also encourage our patients to nominate a pharmacy to send their prescriptions to, thus reducing use of printed prescriptions and the number of journeys made in handling them.

Take a look at www.greenerpractice.co.uk to learn more about this.