Frome Medical Practice has once again been recognised as the leading medical practice in the UK in primary care, with the latest award for its green impact.
Frome is part of a growing movement of practices in primary care who have committed to becoming more sustainable.
Dr Terry Kemple, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) representative for sustainability, climate change and green issues said, “The Frome Medical Practice continue to lead the way improving their sustainability. This year they are the first UK practice to achieve our Gold Plus Award, in addition to being the overall winner of our RCGP/NUS Green Impact Award Scheme for 2018/2019. Congratulations to all the team at Frome.’
Karen Creffield, manager of Frome Medical Practice said, “What we have achieved is very much down to a team effort across the practice. Sustainability is one of our core values as an organisation and we are all committed to working collectively to continue to make changes and improvements that help reduce our carbon footprint, whilst supporting health and well-being.
“We have made some really positive steps to improve our recycling, for example we have reduced our use of paper significantly by using text messages where possible instead of sending letters. Staff here are encouraged, as part of their annual appraisals, to reflect on how they have contributed to all our core values including sustainability. The introduction of a green impact policy has helped to embed improvements throughout the organisation.”
The efforts of the Frome GP practice have not gone unnoticed nationally, with the Guardian newspaper recently spotlighting the practice’s green credentials.
“We are all delighted to see the efforts of the practice being acknowledged nationally,’ adds Karen. “This has opened up real opportunities for us to share with, and learn more from others exploring ways that we can work more collectively together to make more impactful change.
“However, like everyone else, there is always a great deal more that we can do. Next year we will continue to focus on how we can continue to make further improvements and support other practices to do the same.”
Over recent years, Frome Medical Practice has been grateful for the expertise and support of Frome Town Council. The town council’s resilience manager, Anna Francis said, “It’s fantastic that the Frome Medical Practice is leading the way in reducing carbon and waste.
“The community-owned solar panels that FRECo put on the building are saving 75 tonnes of carbon a year and the energy audit that we organised identified significant savings. We are always keen to support local businesses and organisations.”
The ‘Green Impact for Health’ toolkit invites practices to commit to changes which support the UN sustainable development goals. The green impact award scheme is supported by RCGP and the National Union of Students.
Pictured: Practice manager, Karen Creffield.
