Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from inhaler use
Inhalers are essential for treating asthma and COPD, with around 60 million devices dispensed in England each year. However, inhalers are not always used optimally, which can lead to poor disease control and avoidable deaths.
In the UK, 70% of inhalers are pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs), which rely on propellant gases. pMDIs account for 3% of NHS greenhouse gas emissions, making them the single largest contributor among all medicines. Their carbon footprint is about 18 times higher than dry powdered inhalers (DPIs), which are a greener alternative.
To improve patient outcomes and reduce emissions, South East London ICS established the Responsible Respiratory Prescribing Group (RRPG), a subgroup of the Integrated Medicine Optimisation Committee (IMOC). The RRPG brings together healthcare professionals from acute, community and primary care to:
To help deliver high-quality, low-carbon respiratory care, the SEL IMOC Sustainability Group has developed a toolkit of resources for healthcare professionals. This supports the newly developed Clinical Effectiveness SEL (CESEL) guidelines for managing asthma in adults, children and young people.
Further support is available through Optimise Rx, a prescribing decision support tool used in primary care across South East London. It helps prescribers make safe, high-quality, and cost-effective decisions that align with greener NHS goals.
SPECTRA primary care clinical system resources have been developed to help identify adults with potential severe asthma, optimise their treatment, and refer them to severe asthma centres when needed:
The videos available in the hyperlinks below may be appropriate for General Practice waiting room screens:
Staff at all levels can enhance their sustainability knowledge and skills by accessing short courses from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
