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Representatives for prescribers across Scotland, politicians, academics and clinicians gathered to discuss the importance of environmental sustainability in healthcare during a Scottish Parliamentary reception held at Holyrood on Wednesday (13 December). Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) informed the parliament that medicines account for around 25 per cent of carbon emissions across the NHS, while highlighting the various innovative ways to reduce these carbon emissions. The NHS in Scotland needs to implement effective environmentally sustainable approaches to healthcare in order to meet its ambition to achieve net zero, RPS pointed out. Laura Wilson, Director for Scotland at RPS, said: "It was fantastic to bring together pharmacists, parliamentarians and partners from across government and healthcare to highlight the huge opportunity which exists in healthcare to make our systems and processes more environmentally sustainable.

All four UK health services have committed to net zero carbon emissions, health secretary Sajid Javid announced today (November 9). Lauding the commitment, Javid said: "As a health community, we cannot simply sit on the sidelines - we must respond to climate change through urgent action, with global collaboration at its core." Health systems in the UK have already started work on being greener. On behalf of the profession, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in writing a letter to world leaders who had gathered in Glasgow earlier last week to attend the COP26 summit, expressing pharmacy's commitment to tacking the climate crisis. RPS also signed a charter to guide effective and high-quality climate action by professional bodies in the UK.

Alliance Healthcare, the UK's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler, has pledged to support the global efforts to cut carbon emissions, as set out at the recent UN Climate Change Conference, COP26. The company's pledge is in line with its aim to create "healthier futures and thebusiness", on which it has been working on for years. It aims to become the most sustainable independent full-line pharmaceutical wholesaler in the UK by 2030, ensuring to remain the sustainable partner of choice for its customers and manufacturers.

Starting from January 2024, it will be compulsory for medicine suppliers in the NHS supply chain in England to submit an Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment each year. Suppliers who fail to submit the sustainability assessment will not be placed on medicines contracts, said NHS England. The NHS has taken this move as part of its ambition to reach carbon net zero by 2045. The Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment is a self-assessment and reporting tool for suppliers to share sustainability information with the NHS. Chris McAleer, medicines net zero project delivery manager at NHS England, announced this new rule at the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists' Procurement and Distribution Interest Group Autumn Symposium held in Birmingham on 2 November 2023.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland hosted an event celebrating the collaborative work of the health professions and policy makers in Scotland on reducing the environmental harm from prescribing and medicines use. To share priorities for the Scottish Government, Alpana Mair, Head of Effective Therapeutics and Prescribing spoke and National Clinical Director Jason Leitch appeared virtually. Gillian MacKay MSP, Scottish Greens spokesperson for Health and Social Care also joined in-person. Medicines account for around 25% of the NHS's carbon emissions and have an ecological impact when they enter our wastewater system or our rivers and oceans. Tackling the impact of prescribing will be a key part of meeting the ambition of a net zero NHS Scotland by 2040 at the latest. Together, RCGP Scotland and RPS have held two roundtable events on sustainable prescribing, and in June 2022, released a joint statement calling for a wide range of actions, which was signed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the College of Radiographers, Royal College of Nursing, Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Continuing the work of RPS at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, the event aims to mark an opportunity for health professionals and decision makers alike to join a global movement of sustainability in healthcare, and pledge to continue the important work of cutting the climate impact of medicine use while maintaining the highest level of patient care and safety.

NHS England has commissioned the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to develop guidance that helps community and hospital pharmacy teams across Britain to reduce the impact of pharmacy services, pharmaceutical care and medicines on the environment. The RPS said the Greener Pharmacy Guidance will enable pharmacies to self-assess their impact against the standards, benchmark and improve through evidence-based activities and actions. "I'm delighted our strong commitment to helping pharmacy reduce its environmental impact can now be taken to the next level through developing guidance and accreditation for pharmacy teams," RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said. "Medicines account for 25 per cent of carbon emissions within the NHS and this initiative underscores our commitment to promoting sustainable healthcare and supporting the NHS's goal of achieving 'net zero' emissions by 2040." Peter Morgan, medicines assistant director at NHS England, commented: "Pharmacy staff are involved in the purchasing and dispensing of almost every medicine used in the NHS and the new Greener Pharmacy Guidance and Self-accreditation scheme will provide support for pharmacy professionals by outlining clear actions to deliver more environmentally sustainable pharmacy practices." The RPS said the guidance and digital self-assessment toolkit will integrate with carbon calculator tools to help pharmacy teams to measure their carbon footprint, action plan to reduce use of carbon and improve sustainability.

Members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) highlighted the work of pharmacists in making medicines use and the whole NHS more environmentally sustainable at the Welsh Senedd this week. Politicians present were informed that around 25 per cent of the NHS' carbon emissions result from medicines use, and therefore pharmacists' expert skills are crucial for reducing these emissions. RPS Wales Director, Elen Jones, was among the RPS staff who attended the event, which was co-hosted with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. Commenting on the event, Elen said: "It was great to get so many productive conversations with the politicians to highlight the great work pharmacists are already doing in the sustainability field and to explain what further steps are required to reduce the negative environmental and ecological impact of medicines."