In this episode of CPPE Pharmacy Conversations, hosts Hayley Berry and Alison Butt explore the crucial and evolving topic of sustainable healthcare with two expert guests: Nuala Hampson, lead pharmacist at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and Sharon Phleger, consultant in pharmaceutical public health at NHS Highland.

Nuala and Sharon bring extensive experience and passion for embedding sustainability into pharmacy practice. They reflect on their personal journeys into sustainable healthcare, emphasising the pivotal role pharmacy professionals play in addressing the environmental impacts of medicines and healthcare services.

Listeners will gain insights into the five principles of sustainable healthcare—prevention, patient self-care and empowerment, lean service delivery, low-carbon alternatives, and sustainable resource use—and hear practical examples of how pharmacy professionals across all sectors can take meaningful action. From improving repeat prescribing systems to considering pharmaceutical pollution in our waterways, this episode provides both inspiration and actionable ideas.

Whether you're new to sustainability or looking to deepen your practice, this conversation encourages pharmacy professionals to “put on their green goggles” and consider how everyday decisions can support both human and planetary health.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this episode, listeners will be able to:

1. Explain the key principles of sustainable healthcare and their relevance to pharmacy practice.
2. Analyse how current pharmacy practices contribute to environmental impacts and identify opportunities for improvement, such as reducing medicines waste or promoting shared decision-making.
3. Propose actionable strategies for integrating sustainability into personal pharmacy practice, tailored to different healthcare settings.

Resources

General awareness

Heal our planet

All our health - climate change

All our health - air pollution

Education and training on Environmental sustainable healthcare programme

Sustainable healthcare courses - Centre for sustainable healthcare

Sustainable leadership for greener health and care programme

CPPE environmental sustainability learning gateway

Toolkits

Hospital

Community Pharmacy

General Practice

Organisations/networks

Centre for sustainable healthcare

Pharmacy declares

Greener PCPA

Environmental links

Our health breakthrough partnership (OHBP) homepage

Broadening the perspective on reducing pharmaceutical residues in the environment

Environmentally informed pharmaceutical prescribing in Scotland