Topic

RCGP Conference sustainability workshop

Christelle Blunden
Christelle Blunden • 24 October 2011

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,

www.intercare.org.uk

- 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

www.gpfootprinter.co.uk

- 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

www.hospitalrides.co.uk 

- 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!

 

Files

Be the first one to comment


Please log in or sign up to comment.