NHS Scotland’s Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy, which has been published today, aligns firmly with RPS Scotland’s sustainability policies.
As the professional leadership body for pharmacists in Scotland, RPS Scotland has made sustainability a top priority, and has developed a policy setting out how to reduce the environmental impact of medicines, which account for 25% of carbon emissions in the NHS.
RPS Scotland has led the way, in conjunction with partners at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, by bringing together healthcare leaders to discuss how everyone can work together to make prescribing more environmentally sustainable. One of the key outputs from this work is the joint statement on reducing the environmental impact of prescribing and medicines use, which is creating a national movement for sustainable prescribing. So far, ten professional leadership bodies across healthcare have signed up to the joint statement.
RPS Scotland has also put forward a number of sustainability policies, with the support of experts in sustainability from across pharmacy. Many of the calls in both the joint statement on sustainable prescribing and RPS sustainability policies are recognised in NHS Scotland’s new sustainability strategy, including:
- Supporting health professionals to practise Realistic Medicine and deliver personalised care.
- Supporting shared decision making with patients when prescribing.
- Providing more evidence-based medicines information for patients and clinicians.
- Reducing medicines waste.
- Reducing emissions from inhaler propellants, but focused on improving patient outcomes, minimising over-use of inhalers and supporting patients to use propellant free options where clinically appropriate.
In a key section of the report based on medicines use, NHS Scotland highlights the critical importance of improving sustainability of medicines use, which is something RPS Scotland has been strongly calling for. The report states:
“Practicing Realistic Medicine in relation to prescribing is essential. Enabling shared decision-making results in prescribed medicines being more likely to be taken, reducing medicines waste. Improved processes around regular review of prescribed medicines with patients to address concerns and to amend, change or stop prescribed medicines as needed can all have a positive environmental impact by preventing harm and waste. Part of shared decisions should be considering the environmental impact of individual medicines and this information needs to be available for both clinicians and patients.”
Speaking about the publication of NHS Scotland’s sustainability strategy, Clare Morrison, RPS Director for Scotland, said:
“I am absolutely delighted to see NHS Scotland has taken on board our suggestions in the consultation for this strategy, and to read that improving the sustainability of medicines use features heavily.
As medicines experts, pharmacists have unique insight into how medicines can be used more sustainably and safely which would not only reduce impact on the environment, but also provide better outcomes for patients.
“RPS Scotland has taken a leading role in developing environmentally sustainable policies and urging others to act. This new NHS strategy provides added impetus on our journey to create a national movement for sustainable prescribing.”
Sharon Pfleger, RPS Expert Adviser on environmental sustainability policy and Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health at NHS Highland, said:
“We all need to consider our own pharmaceutical footprints, both personal and professional, and think about how we can better practice Realistic Medicine to optimise care and make it more sustainable. Large scale change starts with small steps, and we can all make a difference.”