Frome Medical Practice organised and hosted the Green Impact for Health Conference on Friday 7th February.
The conference was run in conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) England Severn Faculty. Not only was this a first for the West Country, but a first for the whole country.
The conference was packed out with delegates snapping up available places within days of the event being announced. The conference also managed to attract major sponsors such as Ecotricity and Pukka.
The meeting was formally opened by Dr Amanda Howe, president of the RCGP. Other speakers included Dr Terry Kemble (sustainability lead at the RCGP) as well as several speakers from the Frome Medical Practice itself. The senior partner at the practice, Dr Helen Kingston, together with Dr Stevie Gold, addressed the conference on the subject of ‘Reducing Prescribing in Practice’.
“All of us were absolutely delighted at the response to the conference and the positive feedback from the day,” said Dr Kingston. “At a time when we are facing a climate emergency, which will have huge health impacts for all, it is vital that as medical practitioners in primary care we are doing all that we can to lead the way to reduce our environmental impact and become more sustainable. The good news is that this approach is better for the health and wellbeing of individuals as well as being necessary to save our planet.’
“The conference was a great opportunity to share the work we have been doing. We were able to demonstrate the impact of what can be done through working closely with our local community. We were delighted therefore to have speakers from Frome Town Council, Edventure, the Men’s Shed, the Shared Earth Learning Cooperative and the Mells Walled Garden.
“This is very much breaking fresh ground on learning how as medical practitioners we can become a genuinely more sustainable organisation. From the feedback that we have already received, I think that it is fair to say that the conference was a big success. However, this success would not have been possible without the input of not only the speakers and sponsors, but also of course from our delegates themselves.
“A huge ‘thank you’ is due to everyone who contributed to such a successful conference.’
One of the speakers attending the event was Dr James Szymankiewicz, a practising GP in Devon, as well as being a director of strategy and partnerships at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
“A big thank you to all the team at Frome Medical Practice and the RCGP for an engaging and inspiring day,” said Dr Szymankiewicz. “Embedding sustainability in the very fabric of healthcare is not just good for our planet, but also improves patient care and staff wellbeing. It is time this became part of the core business in the NHS and it is fantastic to see Frome leading the way.”
