Royal Pharmaceutical Society unveils Greener Pharmacy Toolkit

A new digital self-assessment tool, designed to help community and hospital pharmacy teams take practical action to reduce the climate impact of pharmacy services, pharmaceutical care and medicines, has gone live.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) Greener Pharmacy Toolkit outlines three levels of accreditation – bronze, silver and gold – based on various actions that pharmacy staff can voluntarily take to make their pharmacies more sustainable, while supporting patient care. Achieving the target accreditation triggers a certificate, which can be displayed to demonstrate the pharmacy’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

Commissioned by NHS England and supported by Greener NHS, the Toolkit is free and open access, available for use by hospital and community pharmacy teams throughout Great Britain. The digital toolkit and accompanying guidance align closely with RPS’ work on sustainability which recognises the impact of climate change on health.

Minna Eii, RPS lead on the Greener Pharmacy Toolkit, acute medicine Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner and co-Founder of Pharmacy Declares, commented: “This pioneering resource is the first-ever toolkit to help pharmacy teams reduce their carbon footprint and a real step forward in using technology to improve practice and patient care. It’s backed by a wealth of expertise and the stages of accreditation make it the ideal starting point for those who want to reduce their environmental impacts but don’t know where to start, as well as driving improvements for teams already on that journey.”

President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professor Claire Anderson, said:  “Medicines account for 25 per cent of carbon emissions within the NHS so doing nothing is not an option. This free to access and easy to use toolkit will help hospital and community pharmacies across the country to promote sustainable practice and reduce their environmental impact. It’s another step in our strong commitment to enabling more sustainable pharmacy services.”

Community pharmacist Mrs Patricia Ojo, from Stevens Pharmacy, said: “Our pharmacy is an early adopter of the Greener Pharmacy Toolkit, progressing through the bronze level. We’ve appointed a sustainability lead and completed all clinical practice, people, operations, and strategy bronze descriptors. We’re halfway to attaining bronze and proud that much of what we are doing already helps to combat climate change. It’s great for the team to see how actions like teaching correct inhaler use and encouraging repeat dispensing contribute to better patient care and environmental sustainability. Despite being busy, we’re keen to continue making progress with the toolkit.”

Laura Stevenson, Associate Chief Pharmacist and Medicines Sustainability Lead at King’s College Hospital, London said: “At King’s we are delighted there is now a dedicated Greener Pharmacy Toolkit for hospital pharmacy. We can now engage our pharmacy teams with clear, practical guidance on sustainability; the toolkit supports teams in making informed decisions that promote a greener, more responsible pharmacy service. It will now be easier for pharmacy teams to play their role to combat climate change and we’ll be exploring how this can support our environmental sustainability efforts and make a real difference in our hospital’s journey to net zero. Together we can make pharmacy greener and more resilient for the future.”

The project was led by healthcare professionals with expertise in environmental sustainability and involved multi-stakeholder engagement and feedback. The RPS Greener Pharmacy Guide scoping review underpins the development of the toolkit, using an evidence-based approach to offer insights into its rationale, content, and structure.

Start using the Greener Pharmacy Toolkit.

Read more about RPS work on sustainability.