NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has launched a new dashboard with the aim of helping prescribers to reduce the carbon impact from inhalers.
With input from clinicians from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, ‘Respiratory – Carbon Impact Dashboard’ is designed to help commissioners and prescribers understand the impact of respiratory prescribing in a sustainability context, providing a means to monitor and promote better practice in this space.
The dashboard displays data on the carbon levels of different inhalers, making it available to view at practice and PCN level as well as within sub-integrated care board locations.
Michael Brodie, chief executive of NHS Business Services Authority, said: “According to the Greener NHS programme, inhalers account for about 3 percent of total NHS carbon emissions, which is a substantial amount when you consider transport and other sources of carbon emission.
“Across the NHS, there is a drive to reduce CO2 emissions produced by the prescribing of inhalers for respiratory conditions – in line with the NHS Long Term Plan, Greener NHS initiative, and to support the ambition for a net zero NHS. So we hope that our new Carbon Impact dashboard can help prescribers and commissioners to see the great benefits of moving to lower carbon alternatives.”
Sam Schofield, environment coordinator at NHSBSA, added: “High levels of air pollution cause asthma in both children and adults. In the UK alone more than 12 million people are affected by lung conditions – with over 60 million inhalers prescribed every year. Swapping to a more environmentally friendly inhaler helps to reduce the contribution to climate change and in turn prevents worsening air pollution.”
The dashboard is available to view on NHSBSA’s public insight portal here.
In line with the new dashboard, NICE has also created a decision aid to support people with asthma in making informed decisions about their choice of inhaler based on its contribution to the climate. The decision aid is available to view online and sets out information such as the effect of each option on climate change, any necessary changes in their own behaviours, and effects on asthma control.
