Greener Practice

Platinum Award - Green Impact for Health

Narrowcliff surgery were delighted to received a Platinum award for the Green Impact for Health Toolkit. There were only 4 awards nationally so this is a huge achievement and reflects the steps the practice has taken to reduce it's carbon footprint and embed sustainable healthcare into the running of the practice and services provided. Some of the actions we have taken involve going paper free where possible, improving our recycling streams and reducing single use plastic. You might also be aware that we offer alternatives to medication where clinically appropriate and refer patients to our health and social prescribing team, gym referrals and nature based prescribing.  We know that the climate crisis is already having an impact on our patients health and we are working hard to mitigate against and advocate for action. If you would like to know more please contact the surgery on narrowcliff.surgery@nhs.net and use the heading "Greener practice". 

Green Impact 2023

Our Values – Our People, Our Place and Our Planet!

The core purpose of Narrowcliff Surgery is to ‘support your health” – which means helping you stay well, emotionally and physically.

This means looking after the places we live and work in.  We’re working to bring our carbon impact down and helping us all see the connections between the health of us all as people, and the health of the planet we all live on.

We know that the climate crisis is also a health crisis – and we’re working on the Kernow Primary Care (i.e. all surgeries in Cornwall) commitment to getting to net zero by 2030.

This means we’re going to try and reduce our carbon right down, and compensate for what we can’t reduce further, by doing things like planting more trees and habitat.

We’ve done all sorts already – including working towards the Green Impact Award.

 This includes things like:

  • improving our energy efficiency
  • buying local and seasonal food and avoiding packaging and plastic
  • recycling everything we can
  • encouraging everyone to walk, cycle and use local buses
  • thinking about what we buy so we treat the planet more kindly
  • making sure we don’t waste things like paper
  • making sure people are only taking the medicine they need to feel better
  • helping our staff stay well
  • working with great partners like Healthy Cornwall
  • being great at talking with patients about their ideas to help us do more

 

Climate Emergency

As with many GP surgeries and other organisations we at Narrowcliff Surgery support the declaration of a climate emergency. The NHS recognises the threat faced to public health as a result of global warming and the climate emergency is a health emergency. Climate change threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the public and the NHS. 

Many of the actions needed to tackle climate change directly improve patient care, health and wellbeing. This is because many of the drivers of climate change are also the drivers of ill health and health inequalities. 

By supporting the declaration of a climate emergency we are:

  1. Acknowledging the climate crisis which threatens population health
  2. Comitting to fast-tracking the reduction of our carbon emissions
  3. Working on collaborative actions to deliver zero carbon

As a practice we are working with the Primary Care Climate Resilience Programme and are part of Cornwalls Greener Practice Network. We are also making our way through the Green Impact for Health Toolkit.

 

Our People, Our Place and Our Planet: - what can patients do?

Find out what you can do to help!

There is so much you can do to help – and we can’t wait to hear your ideas to help us be even better at looking after our people, place and planet.  We know that looking after our place and our planet is often the best way to look after our health – and vice versa. Walking is great for us, and great for our planet; eating more fruit and vegetables does the same!

We’ve got some ideas brewing below: what can you add?

Good food for people and planet

  • Refills are great! They’re convenient, means you can fill up everywhere, create little rubbish and keep you properly hydrated. Look for the Refill logo or look here: https://www.refill.org.uk/ 
  • When you go shopping, take your own bag, and buy loads of our fabulous Cornish grown vegetables, fed with Cornish sunshine and watered with Cornish rain. We’re doing this here in the surgery.
  • We’re cutting our meat on Monday here at the surgery! Try https://meatfreemondays.com/ for fantastic recipe ideas:  It's GREAT for your heart, your tummy, your digestion, your weight and your ability to sleep well. Send us your fave recipes!

Our very own Rubbish Revolution!

  • Did you know you can recycle your inhaler? Just take it back to the pharmacy when empty. You can also recycle your blister packs at some Superdrug stores in Cornwall.
  • If you have asthma the Practice Nurse will advise you if you are suited to a dry powder inhaler. These are great for us, and for our environment – they’re becoming more and more used these days, ask us  and we can chat! If we decide together you should continue to use the Metered Dose Inhaler, it’s a great idea to use it with a spacer, and then you can recycle it at the pharmacy when it’s empty.
  • We know some people are taking more tablets and medicine than they need. It’s better for you and the planet if we sort that out! Our practice pharmacist can chat with you to see if there are medicines you’re taking you don’t need any more, or aren’t helping you. We can come up with more fun and interesting ways to stay well, and manage anxiety and other conditions, like finding groups in the community you want to connect with, activities you want to join and ways of looking at what you’re eating. Just ask you GP or nurse about this next time you see them … we can help! Or check out our social prescribing section on the Watergate PCN website

Moving around!

  • We have cycle racks at the Practice! You can walk or cycle here – and if you get thirsty and need a drink of water when you get here, we can absolutely help with that. You might even have your own refillable bottle!
  • Check out the local bus routes. You can find out more at the Library, or online here: https://www.travelinesw.com/
  •  
  • Train is easier than driving, and if you do fly regularly, cutting that down has the most fantastic carbon benefit! You can find more about national and international train travel adventures here: https://www.rome2rio.com

Paper, paper, everywhere!

  • We only use leaflets when useful. Keep your eye on the screens in the waiting area – we share our best ideas there!
  • Have a browse on our website for great ideas – and do send us more! Maybe you would like to join our Patient Participation Group?
  • We’re trying to encourage people to use online forms – but if you can’t, don’t worry, we will offer a paper version if you need that.

Making sure we’re all well

  • We’ll go the extra mile to help you stay well, including working with Healthy Cornwall and making sure our social prescribers help you find the route to wellbeing that’s spot on for you
  • Have you tried ParkRun? We do it! You can join in every Saturday morning at 9am in various locations around Cornwall. You can find out where here. It’s a chance to get fitter, enjoy the outdoors and meet new people – or just volunteer!
  • Volunteer! Just contact VolunteerCornwall and they can help you find something you love to do!
  • Have you had a go at a beach clean? They’re fantastic for planet, and for meeting people -  find out more at Beach Guardian and Surfers Against Sewage.
  •  We’re helping people find out more about plastic free menstrual products: saves money, and waste!. You can find out more at City to Sea, Mooncup and Earth Wise Girls – and just ask us during your appointment if you want to have a chat.