Sustainable pharmacy
Medicines, inhalers and anaesthetics have a significant effect on climate change, contributing up to 25% of the NHS carbon footprint. CSH is working with partners across health and social care to explore ways of supporting a more sustainable approach to medicines use and reducing the impact of medicines waste. CSH has developed resources and academic courses to enable pharmacy professionals to make their daily practice more sustainable.
Why is sustainable pharmacy important?
Pharmacy teams are experts in medicines and therefore play a key role in meeting the net zero targets of health care systems, and in addressing the wider environmental impact of pharmaceuticals.
Medicines, inhalers and anaesthetics make up 25% of the entire NHS carbon footprint, with metered dose inhalers alone accounting for 3% of the NHS carbon footprint. At least 10% of medicines are overprescribed and between a third to a half of all medicines prescribed for long-term conditions are not taken as recommended, contributing to medicines waste. The use and disposal of medicines and their packaging contributes to pharmaceutical pollution of waterways and plastic pollution.
Pharmacy professionals are experts in medicines optimisation, and are trusted health professionals, easily accessible by the public. Pharmacy teams are ideally placed to positively impact the environmental sustainability of pharmacy practice and medicines use by:
- Helping to prevent disease and need for medicines by providing healthy living advice, screening and vaccination.
- Empowering patients to optimise their use of medicines.
- Tackling medicines waste and optimising the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of the prescribing processes.
- Advising on appropriate low carbon alternatives, such as dry powder inhalers or tablets rather than liquids.
- Optimising use of resources and ways of working.
How is CSH working in sustainable pharmacy?
Q Exchange: Medicines waste in care homes: social and environmental impacts
The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare has received funding from The Health Foundation and NHS England via the Q Exchange to explore the environmental and social impacts of medicines waste in the care home setting.
The project will run from August 2024 – June 2025 and aims to:
- Explore the infrastructure, organisational and cultural factors across care homes, general practice and community pharmacies which contribute to avoidable medicines waste.
- Use SusQI methodology to map existing processes, measure environmental, social and financial impacts, and identify opportunities for sustainable change.
- Generate key recommendations and education resources for the efficient and sustainable management of medicines in care homes.
- Disseminate the learning to care home, general practice and community pharmacy teams via online learning, webinars, conference posters and guidance.
- Influence change at policy level.
Strategy for Sustainable Medicines Use in Northern Ireland.
CSH was recently involved in the development of the Strategy for Sustainable Medicines Use in Northern Ireland. The strategy aims to ensure the sustainable use of medicines across Northern Ireland and to embed a culture of valuing medicines. Planned actions outlined in the strategy include:
- Ensure equitable access to appropriate, safe and cost-effective medicines
- Involve patients in decisions about their medicines, promote preventive care, and offer options alongside prescribed medicines
- Reduce waste and the environmental impact of medicines
- Drive improvement through data, technology, research and innovation
The strategy is now open for public consultation until 26.02.25
Sustainable medicines case studies
CSH has worked with pharmacy professionals on a number of impactful projects through our Green Team Competitions and other projects.
1: Streamline processes to eliminate possibility of waste:
Streamlining Crash Trolley Equipment
2: Optimise use of patients own medicines in hospital / reduce duplicate dispensing:
Reducing Medicine waste by returning unused medicines to pharmacy
3: Optimise prescribing to reduce waste:
Kapsule Kids at Great Ormond Street Hospital
Reducing Paracetamol Co-Prescribing with Strong Opioids in Palliative Care
Sustainable healthcare courses
For pharmacy professionals looking to learn more about sustainable healthcare, we recommend starting with one of our multidisciplinary courses such as Sustainable Healthcare or Sustainability in Quality Improvement. Sustainable Primary Care is recommended for pharmacy professionals working in community pharmacy or primary care. For those working in a specialty, we recommend one of our specialty-specific foundation courses such as Sustainable Respiratory Care, Sustainable Mental Healthcare or Sustainable Child Health.
Sustainable pharmacy network
The Sustainable Pharmacy network was launched in July 2023 and now has over 100 members from all sectors of pharmacy. The network hosts regular online events to showcase and share projects and initiatives specific to pharmacy and medicines. Recent topics include reducing medicines waste, green pharmacy across the sectors and sustainable respiratory medicine.