The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has today published a Green Physician Toolkit to support doctors to play their part in tackling the climate crisis.
With the NHS responsible for around 40% of the UK’s public sector emissions and 4% of total emissions, the health service in England has committed to reach net zero on all direct emissions by 2040. The RCP’s new toolkit suggests a range of actions that physicians can take in their day-to-day practice to help mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, including:
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reducing unnecessary prescribing by using shared decision-making approaches with patients to reduce the environmental burden of medications that are no longer useful
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generating less waste
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limit diagnostic activities where clinically appropriate
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advocating for sustainable practices such as including sustainability as a standing item in all clinical governance meetings
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limiting the environmental impact of travel
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participating in sustainable quality improvement projects within your organisation through a Green Team competition
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communicating with patients about climate change to help them understand how it will affect their health, and how to protect themselves.
The RCP believes all physicians have a vital role to play in helping the NHS reach its net zero goal – changes to clinical practice and how care is delivered, whether large or small, will make an important contribution to reducing the environmental impact of the health service.
The toolkit also brings together the evidence showing the impact of climate change on health, with the goal of educating as many physicians as possible on this issue. Case studies from across the NHS showcase how physicians can adopt these actions into their day-to-day practice.
The effects of the climate crisis are increasingly visible. 2022 was the hottest year on record in the UK, causing nearly 3,000 excess deaths during five heat periods, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) projecting the potential for heat-related deaths to increase 580% to 10,889 each year between now and the 2050s.
Commenting on the Green Physician Toolkit, 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.”