Sustainability

One of the areas we have focussed on heavily in the last few years is ensuring that sustainability is at the heart of all that we do.  With this in mind, we have built a ‘Green Team’ that helps drive forward a range of initiatives in accordance with our strategy in this area.

Climate Change and Health

We are already seeing the effects of climate change through changing weather patterns, extreme weather events and a warming planet. The States of Guernsey have recognised that Guernsey too is being affected by climate change and in 2020 set a target to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Human health goes hand in hand with the planet’s health, but right now society’s actions are hurting our health and our planets health. We have the power to make positive change for ourselves, our communities and our planet.

World Health Organization – Climate Change and Health

Sustainable Healthcare

Sustainable healthcare is about understanding that our health – and that of our environment around us – are intrinsically linked and acting in a way that supports both our health and planet health.

Sustainable healthcare is centred around providing high quality medical care and creating better outcomes for patients whilst minimising environmental harms. It also involves efficient running of medical practices, reusing waste and optimising health through health education and ill health prevention activities.

Greener changes have been shown to improve the quality of patient care, reduce health costs (to patients and health systems) whilst also reducing carbon footprint.

What is Queens Road Medical Practice doing about sustainability?

We are an active member of Greener Practice Guernsey which is a primary care sustainably network.

We have created our own ‘Green Team’ that work on sustainability initiatives within the practice. The Green Team is delighted to have signed up to the Green Impact for Health Toolkit. This is a primary care focused toolkit that is endorsed by The Royal College of GPs.
Current projects running are:

•    Analysing our electricity and oil use
•    Writing Lighting and heating plans
•    Big Green Week stand and staff swim 😀
•    Alternative travel week and encouraging active travel
•    Modernising our clinical waste system to reduce necessary carbon production
•    Calculating our practice carbon footprint
•    Improving our asthma care
•    Working on our digital strategy
•    Improving the biodiversity of our sites
•    And LOTS MORE!

The climate emergency is also a health emergency

Climate change threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the population of Guernsey and our health system. The situation is getting worse, with nine out of the 10 hottest years on record occurring in the last decade and more than 2,500 people killed by heatwaves across the UK in 2020. Without accelerated action there will be increases in the intensity of heatwaves, more frequent storms and flooding, and increased spread of infectious diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis and vibriosis.

The NHS has found that many of the actions needed to tackle climate change directly improve patient care and health and wellbeing.
This is because many of the drivers of climate change are also the drivers of ill health and health inequalities. For example, the combustion of fossil fuels is the primary contributor to ill-health from air pollution. Best estimates suggest that over one-third of new asthma cases might be avoided because of efforts to cut carbon emissions.
Fortunately, most of the solutions for the planet also make our health better – for example engaging in active travel and exercise in nature, avoiding smoking, reducing pollution etc.
These all enhance our health and reduce our need for medications, with further benefits to the Health system in Guernsey, your own health and reduces the carbon footprint of healthcare. Take a look at Greener Practice to learn more about this.

Queens Road Medical Practice declares that the climate emergency is a health emergency

Queens Road Medical Practice has declared a climate emergency, recognising climate change as one of the biggest threats to public health. We have made a commitment to further reducing carbon emissions and prioritising this agenda alongside other national and local health priorities.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, there is now good evidence that climate change is the greatest threat to public health in the 21st century and we have a responsibility to tackle climate change. We really want to make a difference for our staff, patients and local people now and for generations to come and will look to take actions collaboratively to deliver zero carbon at a pace that delivers against recognised targets.

If you have any suggestions it would be great to hear from you – please email us at admin@eqrmp.com

Further Resources:

• The climate crisis is driving a global public health emergency (worldbank.org)
• Greener NHS – Health and climate change (england.nhs.uk)
• The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change
• Greener Practice – UK’s primary care sustainability network
• Better and greener asthma care – Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
• Health Declares – Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis
• Active Travel | Health Improvement Commission
• The Real Cost of Climate Change: Global Public Health