Respiratory care has some of the biggest problems (inhalers) and many good solutions for sustainable healthcare.

The carbon footprint of waste streams in a UK hospital

This article by CSH's Sustainable Surgery Fellow, Chantelle Rizan, and co-authors, provides greenhouse gas emission factors for the different healthcare waste streams in the UK.

Highlights:

Journal of Cleaner Production

December, 2020

Environmental impact of PPE in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Article: Environmental impact of Personal Protective Equipment supplied to health and social care services in England in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chantelle Rizan, Malcolm Reed, Mahmood F Bhutta

MedRxiv preprint

December, 2020

Inhalers poster

We are using this poster to inform improved inhaler prescribing at Newcastle Hospitals

December, 2020

SHARE conference - 7 May 2021 online

Sustainable Healthcare Academic Research and Enterprise

Upcoming free event - Remote Consultations: What’s their role in Sustainable Healthcare?

Join us & our inspiring speakers to consider the role of remote consultations and care as part of a sustainable healthcare service and whether

Last days to sign up to our Carbon Footprinting for Healthcare Course

This training course will help health professionals, quality improvement leads and medical students to become carbon literate.

Three days left to apply for Sustainability Volunteer positions

The closing date for applications for three Sustainblity Volunteer positions at CSH is this Monday 14th September at 9am

Opportunity for an AHP Sustainability Volunteer at CSH

A position is available for an AHP Sustainability Volunteer at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.

Invitation for Doctors working in Europe to complete Survey

Students from the University of Amsterdam would like to hear from you regarding COVID-19 induced e-health implementation and its contrib

Introduction to Sustainable Healthcare goes international!

Our first Introduction course was by attended remotely by health professionals from across the UK, Australia and Canada.

The environmental footprint of health care: a global assessment

Background: Health-care services are necessary for sustaining and improving human wellbeing, yet they have an environmental footprint that contributes to environment-related threats to human health.

July, 2020

Blue, brown and now green

Useful information resource / infographic about different inhalers and the main differences between them - including environmental impact.

Could be helpful in teaching...

The Pharmaceutical Journal

June, 2020

Recording: National Allied Health Professions Sustainability Webinar

This is a recording of the AHP Sustainability webinar from June 18th 2020, part of the National Allied Health Professions fornightly webinar series.

June, 2020

AHP Sustainability Survey: Deadline Extended Until 31st July

NHS Improvement's AHP Sustainability Survey has 11 questions and should take about 5-15 minutes to complete:

BTS Position Statement on The Environment and Lung Health 2020

This was released in March of this year, unfortunately I think I and many others were a bit distracted by COVID, but it is definitely worth a read

AHP Sustainability Survey: Four Days Left

NHS Improvement's AHP Sustainability Survey is designed to help understand how Allied Health Professionals are addressing sustainability issue

Millions of Nurses Call The World To Action #HealthyRecovery

From the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, this a short video (see link below) which accompanies the

May, 2020

FINAL CALL: Free training workshop on advising patients about air pollution

It your last chance to join a free training workshop on how to advise patients on air pollution. Our final workshop of this series wil

Advising on air pollution - a workshop with Prof Stephen Holgate

Want to help protect your patients from air pollution, but don't know where to start?

New GP contract incentivises lower carbon inhalers

The new GP contract published last week includes a new incentive to encourage lower carbon inhalers.

New GP contract incentivises lower carbon inhalers

The new GP contract published last week includes a new incentive to encourage lower carbon inhalers.

Green Inhaler website

This patient- and clinician-facing website gives guidance on choosing inhalers with lower environmental impact - something which is now included in the BTS asthma guidelines.

Dr Alex Wilkinson

September, 2019

New BTS asthma guidelines encourage use of low-GWP inhalers

Section 8.6 of the new BTS/SIGN Guideline for the management of asthma highlights the environmental impact of metered dose inhalers (pMDI) and recommends that inhalers with low global-warming potential (GWP) should be used when likely to be equally effective.

British Thoracic Society

July, 2019

Asthma UK inhaler videos

Are you confident in teaching patients how to use their inhalers? The first step in improving environmental sustainability of inhaler use is to ensure that people use the correct technique to get the drug to where it is needed.

Asthma UK

July, 2019

NICE encourages use of greener asthma inhalers

"People with asthma will be helped to choose the inhaler that is best for them, and best for the environment, by a new patient decision aid from NI

Sustainability in QI - the time has come!

Health systems are in constant need of improvement - and in some cases total redesign.

Sustainability in Quality Improvement learning resources

Sustainability has been recognised as a domain of quality in healthcare, and building it into quality improvement (QI) is a practical way to drive incremental change towards a more ethical, sustainable health system.

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

March, 2017

Reducing the carbon footprint of hospital-based care

Nephrologist, Charlie Tomson, gives an overview of the challenge of reducing carbon in the NHS and potential solutions - from energy and waste reduction to Sustainable Care Pathways.

Tomson, C., Future Hospital Journal

February, 2015

Browse this Networks's Resources in the Resource Library

RCP video on NHS environmental impact

Short animation to raise awareness of the NHS contribution to environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution, and encourage health professionals to look for environmentally friendly ways to practise.

Royal College of Physicians

September, 2018

Making Sense of Social Prescription

The University of Westminster has published an excellent explanatory document on social prescription. It's a fantastic end to end resource with explanations of terminology, structures, different types of social prescription, and referral examples.

August, 2017

Sustainability in Quality Improvement learning resources

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

March, 2017

Top tips for mental health teams to improve respiratory outcomes for their clients

A ten-point summary of best practice for mental health teams to improve respiratory outcomes for people with mental health problems developed by the London Respiratory Network. This matters because:

London Respiratory Network

June, 2016

Reducing the carbon footprint of hospital-based care

Nephrologist, Charlie Tomson, gives an overview of the challenge of reducing carbon in the NHS and potential solutions - from energy and waste reduction to Sustainable Care Pathways.

Tomson, C., Future Hospital Journal

February, 2015

The impact of respiratory virtual clinics in primary care on responsible respiratory prescribing and inhaled corticosteroid withdrawal in patients with COPD: a feasibility study

Poster which was presented at the BTS winter meeting 2014.

King's Health Partners

January, 2015

Sustainable Respiratory Inhalers Programme - Table of Actions

Table of Actions for a Sustainable Respiratory Inhalers Programme - first created in consultation with Sustainable Respiratory Care Advisory Group in February 2013. This table can be updated as actions are completed or proposed.

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

February, 2013

Sustainable Respiratory Inhalers Programme - briefing note

The continued use of metered-dose inhalers in respiratory care will have a potentially catastrophic effect on global warming if production is not controlled, largely because these inhalers use potent green-house gas hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) as propellants.

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

March, 2013

Thorax editorial - Prevention is best: lessons from protecting the ozone layer

Published late last year in BMJ Thorax, editorial by Ashley Woodcock: "The Montreal Protocol was signed 25 years ago. As a result, the irreversible destruction of the ozone layer was prevented.

Ashley Woodcock

July, 2012

Dr Vince Mak speaks about value in respiratory prescribing

Vince Mak's talk presents an important opportunity to reduce environmental harm from use (and over-use) of respiratory inhalers, which have a huge carbon footprint due to the use of HFC propellants:

NHS London Respiratory Team Conference

October, 2012

NICE encourages use of greener asthma inhalers

"People with asthma will be helped to choose the inhaler that is best for them, and best for the environment, by a new patient decision aid from NI

QI Inhaler Project in Primary Care

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience of reducing MDI prescribing/use in a community GP setting?

Inhalers and NHS Long Term Plan

The NHS Long Term Plan, published earlier this month, makes two references to inhaler climate change

Expert Working Group on reducing the climate change impact of inhalers

A national (English) working group has been formed to establish the approach and a potential target for reducing the climate change impact of

"Can a Whisper become a Roar" A call to action for the healthcare community

"As clinicians we are taught to value evidence based interventions that benefit health and wellbeing.

Calling all Q members (Health Foundation) with a passion for sustainability

Calling all sustainability friends… are you a Q member (Health Foundation)?

Sustainability in QI - the time has come!

Health systems are in constant need of improvement - and in some cases total redesign.

Air Pollution - GPs

Hello - Im a final year medical student doing a 2 week placement with CSH.

MPs call on NHS to reduce use of MDIs to tackle climate change

The Environmental Audit Committee has called on the Government, the NHS and manufacturers to reduce the production and use of metered dos

WFOT Launches Guiding Principles for Sustainability in Occupational Therapy

Last week saw the launch of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists publication ‘Sustainability Matters: Guiding Principles for Sustainabil

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New GP contract incentivises lower carbon inhalers

The new GP contract published last week includes a new incentive to encourage lower carbon inhalers.

Green Inhaler website

This patient- and clinician-facing website gives guidance on choosing inhalers with lower environmental impact - something which is now included in the BTS asthma guidelines.

Dr Alex Wilkinson

September, 2019