Sustainability Actions of Eric Moore Partnership Medical Practice
This clock counts down to a critical point for our planet’s climate.
We are committed to being a sustainable practice and reducing our environmental impact. We believe that everyone has a role to play in protecting our planet, and we encourage our patients to join us in our efforts.
What are we doing to be more sustainable?
Our key areas of focus for sustainability are:
1 – Supporting health & wellbeing
2 – Reducing prescribing
3 – Reducing waste and increasing recycling
4 – Reducing our use of paper
5 – Embedding green impact into our organisational culture
6 – Improving our energy efficiency
7 – Implementing our lighting responsibility plan
8 – Promoting sustainable transport
9 – Sourcing food and drink responsibly and avoiding use of plastic where possible
10 – Implanting the NUS/RCGP Green Impact Toolkit
Here are some examples of work we are undertaking on these key areas:
1- Supporting health and wellbeing
– Promoting workplace health and wellbeing
– Providing resources on our website for patients to support their health and wellbeing
– Advice and support via our clinics and service pages on the website
– Promoting a series of health and wellbeing campaigns each year, for example on specific topics such as alcohol use or on seasonal health issues such as the flu vaccination
2- Reducing prescribing
Where possible, the practice is reducing polypharmacy and over prescribing. We will only reduce medications in the best interest of the patient and may also be able to promote other ways you can help manage your condition, for example through diet, exercise and support groups. Using other forms of support can help reduce the need for, or the amount of, medication prescribed – which is good for you and good for the planet.
3- Reducing waste and increasing recycling
– Ensuring only confidential waste is collected for shredding
– All other paper will be recycled
– Clearly labelled bins in clinic rooms for domestic / confidential / sharps / clinical waste
– Recycle plastic bottles
– Recycle other materials, including cardboard, printer toner cartridges and batteries
– Encouraging patients to switch to a more eco-friendly medication i.e. inhalers.
4- Reducing our use of paper
– We are a paperless practice where possible
– Setting photocopiers to print double sided by default
– Photocopiers are able to scan and email documents, to reduce printing
– Staff email signatures include the ‘think before you print’ logo
– Patient communication uses paperless systems where possible
– Online forms being introduced to our website and their use to be increased
5- Embedding green Impact into our organisational culture
– Sustainability is one of our core values and we ask staff to reflect on how they have helped sustainability as part of our appraisals.
– Green impact is a standing item on our meeting agendas
– We regularly ask our staff to feedback and ideas for improvement
6- Improving our energy efficiency
– Equipment is turned off at the end of each day
– Our lighting is on motion sensors
– We use water heaters for making tea and coffee, instead of kettles
7- Implementing our lighting responsibility plan
– All lights are fitted with sensors
– Staff take responsibility for switching lights off when they are not needed or when leaving a room at the end of a session / day
– Clear labelling on light switches to make it easier to turn areas of lighting off
– Staff who are responsible for closing the building at the end of the day must undertake a building sweep to ensure all area lighting is turned off
8- Promoting sustainable transport
– Walk or cycle to the practice for your appointments where possible – we have cycle racks here that you are welcome to use.
– Use public transport where possible to get to your appointments at the practice or elsewhere.
9- Sourcing food and drink responsibly and avoiding plastic where possible
– Commitment to sourcing Fairtrade / local / healthy refreshments when possible
– Sharing food as a team, with regular ‘bring and share’ lunch days
– Reducing our use of single use plastic
– Sourcing plastic free tea bags
– Using refillable bottles for washing up liquid
10- Implementing the NUS/RCGP Green Impact Toolkit
Our Whole Practice is committed to achieving the NUS / RCGP Green Impact Award
Commitment to support the National Green Impact Agenda to reduce carbon emissions in line with the 2030 United Nations Sustainability Development Goals
Find out what you can do to be more sustainable
As well as the things we are doing as a practice to be more sustainable, we are encouraging patients to be more sustainable too. Below are some ideas of small, often health related, changes you can make which can help the environment, and which can also often save you money.
If you have other ideas about what we can do as a practice to become more sustainable please let us know. Likewise if you’ve thoughts on what patients can do more or less of to help the environment we would love to hear from you.
Sustainability has become a standing agenda item on Patient Participation Group meetings.
Reducing the use of single use plastic and sourcing food and drink responsibly
You can reduce your use of single use plastic by using a refillable water bottle
You might also want to think about other ways to reduce your use of plastic – some websites to visit include Plastic Free Challenge and City To Sea.
One of the biggest environmental impacts you can have as an individual is to reduce the amount of meat and dairy you eat. If you want to try this, even on just one or two days of the week, there is lots of support available to you. Take a look at Veganuary and Meat Free Monday for ideas. If you’re interested in this try something like Dairy Free Tuesdays. There are lots of recipes online to inspire you if you want to make small changes to what you eat.
Where possible, buy FairTrade products. As well as ensuring decent working conditions, terms of trade and prices for producers, it also ensures local sustainability where products are grown / produced.
Reducing waste and increasing recycling
Did you know you can recycle your inhaler?
Several pharmacies in will take used inhalers from you for recycling – including Boots and ASDA
If you have asthma the Practice Nurse or Clinical Pharmacist will advise you if you are suited to a dry powder inhaler. Dry powder inhalers are much better for the environment and are often the best choice for our health.
Some patients need to continue using Metered Dose Inhalers. Where this is the case we are encouraging patients to ensure they’ve used every dose from that inhaler before returning it to the pharmacy for recycling.
– As a practice we are looking at how we can reduce prescribing in order to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce waste. Please talk to your healthcare professional if you have concerns about this.
– Rather then gifting friends and families with items they might not really want, patients might be interested in giving a gift with a sustainable difference
Using sustainable transport
– Walk or cycle to the practice for your appointments where possible – we have cycle racks here that you are welcome to use.
– Use public transport where possible to get to your appointments at the practice or elsewhere.
Reducing the use of paper
– We promote health education messages to patients via Facebook and the practice website – please keep your eye out for key messages we share.
– Patients can also find a great deal of information on our website – whether they want to know about how to register, making appointments online and about our different clinics or services.
– We encourage patients to use online forms, rather than paper based forms, and these are gradually being introduced to the website
Reducing prescribing
Where possible, the Practice is reducing polypharmacy and over prescribing. We will only reduce medications in the best interest of the patient and may also be able to promote other ways you can help manage your condition, for example through diet, exercise and support groups. Using other forms of support can help reduce the need for, or the amount of, medication prescribed – which is good for you and good for the planet.
Supporting health and wellbeing
– We encourage patients to use resources available on our website to help them support their health and wellbeing
– We direct patients to further sources of advice and support via our Clinics and Services pages on the website
– We promote a series of health and wellbeing campaigns each year, for example on specific topics such as alcohol use or on seasonal health issues such as the flu vaccination