Examples of good practice
The following are examples of good practice from various health organisations in the UK. If you would like to provide information about your organisation please contact info.science@bma.org.uk
Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen
The Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen provides services to patients from a large geographical area. In an effort to combat the environmental impact of both patient and professional travel they use telemedicine for professional and clinical purposes. Another measure taken is the use of ‘peripheral clinics’ ie seeing outpatients in GP practices in remote and rural areas. While this involves one or two healthcare professionals driving long distances, a greater number of patients’ driving is reduced.
Pilgrim Hospital, Boston
Pilgrim Hospital in Boston has started community based chronic pain clinics in their rural county, so that only 2 people have to travel to the site, rather than a lot of people having to travel to the main hospital. There are limits to the procedures that can be done in these locations, but the assessments and follow ups can all be done locally.
NHS East Midlands
NHS organisations in the East Midlands have made explicit pledges to combat climate change, by signing up to the ‘Nottingham Declaration’, which commits partners to reducing their environmental impact. The declaration specifies that all 23 NHS partners in the region will become environmentally conscious in their everyday work. Examples of measures taken by some of these organisations include:
- Sherwood Forest Hospital has made a planning application to Ashfield District Council for the installation of Geothermal Technology into the building of a new hospital. If approved, the new hospital when completed, will see a 50 per cent reduction in the carbon emitted compared to the existing site.
- Derby Hospitals have set up a number of initiatives including ‘Energy Awareness Month’. The trust has employed an energy advisor, who works with partners and staff to monitor energy consumption within the Trust
- Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust has set up a green group, which has devised an environmental and sustainability policy. The Trust is now in the process of developing a strategy and is working closely with colleagues in the county council sustainable communities department. The Trust has also made a commitment to reduce their energy consumption by 10 per cent by the end of the financial year, to increase recycling by 50 per cent and reduce waste by 25 per cent within the next year. In addition, they are approaching the Carbon Trust to measure their carbon footprint and will work together to help raise awareness further. Other activities include working with the county council on a car sharing scheme and a mailbox for the ‘green group’ where staff will be able to offer their comments and suggestions.
Rhayader Practice have implemented a 12 step scheme for a reducing the impact of their surgery on the environment. The scheme is outlined below:
Environmental Policy for Rhayader Practice
Blue Print for a Green Practice – 12 Steps towards a carbon light surgery
- Change electricity supply to a renewable source. Ideally this should guarantee 100% renewable generation and currently the best options for this are Goodenergy or Ecotricity.
- Heat sources should be switched to electricity and if this is not practical then any fossil fuel used to generate heat should be offset using a website that will offset carbon emissions. Our heat sources are currently all electric.
- Ethical investment. Use a bank that promotes ethical investment and carbon reduction, for example the Co-op bank or HSBC. Investment policy – check that any investment policies are invested in ethnical investment companies.
- Transportation for work purposes. The ideal way would be to use an electric car based at the practice and recharged from the renewable supplier. Alternatively a vehicle run on biofuel is a good option. There are several ways to do this; i) conversion to run on straight vegetable oil, ii) make your own biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, iii) purchase biodiesel or bioethanol from a producer. Use teleconferencing whenever possible to reduce travel miles.
- Reduce the use of plastics in the surgery and source all stationary and office equipment from carbon light suppliers. Use recycled paper.
- Use low energy light bulbs, minimize waste and recycle. Don’t leave equipment on standby.
- Encourage staff to adapt to the ethos of the practice and issue them with a copy of the Environmental Policy of the practice.
- Encourage staff and patients to cycle or walk to the practice where possible or to use public transport.
- Put up information about promoting carbon footprinting in the waiting room and encourage patients to do their own carbon footprint to promote awareness in the community. As a routine part of travel advice encourage the patient to offset the carbon emissions of their flight and provide information about how to do this.
- Inform representatives of drug companies that we have a Carbon Reduction Policy and require them to offset their carbon emissions incurred from business travel since their last visit to the Surgery.
- Inform the LHB regarding our policy and encourage them to adopt a similar policy.
- Write to the local pharmacies and inform them of our intentions and enquire as to whether they have any carbon reduction policies.