A toolkit has been published by the Royal College of Physicians suggesting a range of everyday steps doctors can take to help the NHS reach its net zero goal and mitigate the risks of climate change.
The Green Physician Toolkit also brings together the evidence showing the impact of climate change on health, in order to educate and raise awareness of the issue among doctors. Case studies from across the NHS showcase how doctors can adopt these actions into their day-to-day practice.
The measures suggested by the RCP that clinicians can take to be greener include:
- reducing blood testing where clinically appropriate
- reducing unnecessary prescribing by using shared decision-making approaches with patients to reduce the environmental burden of medications that are no longer useful
- generating less waste
- limiting the environmental impact of travel
- advocating for sustainable practices
- communicating with patients about climate change to help them understand how it will affect their health, and how to protect themselves.
Since the NHS is responsible for around 40% of the UK’s public sector emissions and 4% of total emissions, the health service in England has committed to reaching net zero on all direct emissions by 2040, the RCP explained.
It added that all physicians have a vital role to play in helping the NHS reach this goal – and that changes to clinical practice and how care is delivered, whether large or small, will contribute to reducing the environmental impact of the health service.
Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam, RCP academic vice president, said: ‘Those working in the NHS will be some of the first to see the health effects of climate change, if they have not done so already. The need to act has never been more urgent and we hope that our Green Physician Toolkit will support the physician community with small steps that can make a difference.’
‘It can of course be challenging to prioritise sustainability at a time when there is very high demand for clinical care, but we have to keep in mind that reducing climate change and its health impacts is part of reduced pressure on the NHS in the long-term,’ he added.
