Carbon Reduction Plan

Our Net Zero Commitment

Addison Road Medical Practice is dedicated to supporting the NHS’s net-zero by 2050 ambition by taking meaningful action to reduce our carbon footprint across all our practices. Each practice develops and implements its own carbon reduction plan, guided by our organisational objectives and the NHS’s 10-point green plan. Our net-zero initiatives are overseen by our Chief Operating Officer and managed by each individual practice manager.

Objectives:

• Communicating Our Green Plan: We ensure our sustainability goals and progress are clearly communicated to staff, patients, and the wider community.
• Greener Practice Network: We are active members of the Greener Practice Network, sharing best practices and driving collective action on sustainability.
• CO₂ Reduction: All practices use the GP Carbon Calculator to measure and reduce non-clinical carbon emissions, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Key Areas of Action:

• Local Procurement & Supply Chain: We prioritise local and sustainable suppliers to reduce transport emissions and support our community.
• Sustainable Staff Travel: We encourage staff to use low-carbon travel options and promote remote working where possible.
• Decrease Water and Energy Consumption: Practices implement measures to reduce water and energy use, such as efficient appliances and mindful usage.
• Single-Use Plastics Reduction: We are committed to reducing single-use plastics and increasing the use of reusable alternatives.
• Improving Inhaler Impact: We promote the use of lower-carbon inhalers and educate patients on proper inhaler disposal.
• Sustainable Care Models: We adopt care models that minimise environmental impact, including digital consultations and preventative care initiatives.

We provide ongoing support, resources, and training to all practices to help achieve these goals. By working together and sharing our progress, we are committed to delivering high-quality, sustainable care for our patients and making a positive impact on our environment.

Addison Road Medical Practice translates our organisational commitments into practice-level action plans to ensure effective stewardship of the environment, in line with NEL ICB goals and priorities.

Example plan below:

Communicating our green plan

• Key Actions:
  • Communications Plan developed specifically for the promotion of sustainable development to staff, patients and service users.
  • Energy Awareness Training Plan
• Outcomes: Understanding of commitments, working with practice landlords to support wider stakeholder engagement to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions across strategic estates profile.
• Measure: Staff and patient surveys
• Implementation Timings: By the end of Q4 2025

Greener practice network

• Key Actions: Take part in The Green Impact Audit for Health toolkit
• Outcomes: Accredited, working to driving greener initiatives for the practice in conjunction with PPG, e.g. greener spaces
• Measure: Certified
• Implementation Timings: By the end of Q4 2025

CO₂ reduction

• Key Actions: Working in conjunction with the contract landlords, aligning to their green plan, to reduce greenhouse emissions through renewables / energy saving technology.
• Outcomes: 
  • Improvements to air quality and to progress to net zero pledge in line with NHS and ICB strategy
  • MEES / Energy Performance
  • Embedding LIFT building strategies e.g. improving waste & CO2 reduction
• Measure: 30% from current
• Implementation Timings: By end of Q4 2027

Local procurement and supply chain

• Key Actions: 90% of business-related goods/services procured locally to The Firs / The Forest (our practices?)
• Outcomes: Reduced distribution and resulting CO2, improved economic outcomes.
• Measure: 90% from current
• Implementation Timings: Life of contracts (ongoing?)

Staff travel is more sustainable

• Key Actions: 50% staff uptake of sustainable travel solutions offered in green travel plan
• Outcomes: 
  • Reduction in CO2 and improvements to fitness where cycle2work scheme used
  • Recruiting the local populations
• Measure: 50% from current
• Implementation Timings: Life of contracts (ongoing?)

Decrease water consumption

• Key Actions: Reduction in water use at practice of 30% by the end of year 2
• Outcomes: Reducing demand on what is a difficult utility at present.
• Measure: 30% Measured in litres or m3 per FTE
• Implementation Timings: Life of contracts (ongoing?)

Decrease energy consumption

• Key Actions: Reduction in energy consumption of 20% by end of year 2 in line with our landlords, PHP/CHP, commitment.
• Outcomes: Reduction in CO2
• Measure: 20% measured in kW/h and costs per annum 
• Implementation Timings: By end of Q4 2027

Single plastics reduction

• Key Actions: 30% reduction in non-essential single-use plastics by end of year 2
• Outcomes: Minimising single use which has supply chain and waste co2 implications
• Measure: 30% from current
• Implementation Timings: Life of contracts (ongoing?)

Improving inhaler impact

• Key Actions: 100% of patients to be offered switch to green inhalers achieved for Firs & ARMP as part of medicines optimisation plan.
• Outcomes: Minimising accelerants used in inhales
• Measure: 100% from current
• Implementation Timings: ongoing

Sustainable care models

• Key Actions: Investigate models of sustainable care to identify future opportunities through Health Inequality Projects.
• Outcomes: Less impactful care with a more proactive move to anticipatory care with a focus on prevention, for example lower leg wound clinics to prevent recurrence and demand on wound products/clinics
• Measure: Completion of proactive MDTs, reduction of frequent attenders through health inequalities project.
• Implementation Timings: Implemented by Year 1 of contract