Symphony Healthcare Services and its surgeries are delighted to be signed up to the Green Impact for Health Toolkit and is actively taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint. The climate emergency is also a health emergency, and health care in the UK contributes 5.4% of the UK's carbon emissions.
We need to enhance the health of our current population without compromising the health of future generations, and this means operating within the sustainable boundaries of the planet. Fortunately most of the solutions for the planet also make our health better - for example eating a mainly plant-based diet, engaging in active travel and exercise in nature, avoiding smoking, reducing pollution etc all enhance our health and reduce our need for medications, with further benefits to the NHS, your health and the carbon footprint of healthcare.
Symphony Healthcare Services recognises the calls from scientists, governments and the international community to urgently move away from fossil fuel use, deforestation and other human activities that are causing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
We recognise that the climate crisis is already having a direct and immediate consequence for our patients’ health. The Greener NHS plan clearly shows there is a need for all services to act now. In order to have the biggest impact possible, Symphony Healthcare Services will share best practice, new ideas and successes.
2024 Successes
In December 2024, it was confirmed that all our practices had achieved their Bronze awards under the Green Impact for Health Toolkit scheme, with one, Warwick House Medical Centre, who went beyond this and achieved their Silver award this year. To celebrate their achievements, each practice has received their own certificate which is displayed in each practice, so look out for this when you visit us. This is a fantastic achievement, requiring a great deal of co-ordination and organisation across our practices to provide the evidence required.
