Inhalers are another carbon hotspot for the NHS.
The majority of the emissions come from the propellant in metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) used to deliver the medicine, rather than the medicine itself. The propellant are a HFC gas which are powerful greenhouse gases – thousands of times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide.
Patients are being moved over to dry powder inhalers (DPIs) where clinically appropriate, as these don't contain a propellant and are therefore much better for the environment. The different in equivalent in the image below.
However, there are still many instances where it is not it is not appropriate to move patients away from MDIs. In these cases, there are still actions that can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of their inhalers, such as:
- ensuring that all doses with the inhaler are used before starting a new inhaler - data shows around half of doses in MDIs never get used
- consider changing to a stronger inhaler so less doses (and therefore less propellent) are required each day
- correct disposal of MDIs via pharmacies, so any remaining propellant within the inhaler can be removed
Carbon emissions
Since the baseline year, carbon emissions associated with inhalers has increased by 11%. This is partially due to an increase in prescribing over this period, which has risen by 8%.
It should be noted that generally patient decisions around their inhaler prescriptions are made with their GP and therefore opportunities to change inhaler choice at the time of prescription within LUHFT is low. However, raising awareness around the impacts of inhalers, the available alternatives and correct disposal can all be promoted in the Trust. LUHFT can also support wider work with the NHS to promote greener inhaler prescribing.
