The sustainability workshop at the RCGP conference 2011 was well attended and alive with ideas and suggestions for advancing the agenda for sustainable primary care and identifying the co-benefits of carbon reduction for health. Using the sustainable action planning tool and the 10:10 GP checklist (both on this website) and ideas put forward by speakers, participants identified areas for change within their own practices.
First there was a celebration of successes- examples of what had been done by participants included
- Finding ways of recycling all types of waste
- Use of air source heat pumps and solar panels in practices to save energy
- Introduction of a telephone triage system for all appointments which reduced face-to-face contacts and thus patient journeys by 50-60%
- Promotion of responsbile family planning with respect to the global population explosion
- Introduction of email referrals to local hospital to save on faxes/post
- Use of a shared practice car for visits done by one duty doctor only on any given day
- Use of a practice bicycle for home visits
- Recycling unused medicines BNFs and more via donation to African health centres,
- Use of text messages re; flu/to reduce DNAs (less paper, better use of appointment time)
Secondly participants identified further actions they intended to take on return to their practices-
- Putting sustainability on the practice agenda/becoming a lead for sustainability
- Completing the RCGP footprinter
- Holding a forum locally involving Local Medical Committees/Clinical Commissioning Groups/Patient and Public Invlvement Groups to discuss sustainability on a local level
- Using the practice garden for community farming
- Monitor practuce energy use, motion sensor lighting
- Develop practice car share scheme for staff and patients, Promote national hospital car share scheme to patients and relatives
- Promote walking, promote less eating of red meat
- Taking on research- areas include ways of reducing patient journeys, carbon footprint of medicines
- Finding out more about Green gyms locally
- Use of patient education screen in waiting room to promote healthier, low carbon lifestyles
It was also pointed out that good primary care is also low carbon primary care- advocating healthier lifestyles, reducing polypharmacy in the elderly and prudent prescribing have co-benefits for health and the environment..
We thank all who came and look forward to hearing about how these initiatives develop- please use this forum as a way of keeping in touch, sharing what works and what doesn't, promoting ideas and using others as a resource!
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