Caring for our community and our environment
Court Thorn Surgery is proud to have joined the Green Impact for Health Toolkit. This gives our team a practical way to review how we work, make improvements and track our progress. Good patient care will remain at the centre of every decision.
Climate change affects health through factors such as air quality and extreme weather. Healthcare has an environmental impact too. We want to understand our own contribution and take sensible steps that benefit patients and our community.
What we are committing to
We are at the start of this work. Our first steps are to:
- Review our carbon footprint to understand where the surgery’s greatest environmental impacts lie and where change is most useful.
- Use the Green Impact for Health Toolkit to guide practical improvements and record our progress.
- Reduce avoidable waste while keeping care safe, effective and accessible.
- Help patients understand inhaler disposal, including why used inhalers should be returned to a pharmacy.
We will update this page as we complete actions and learn more. Joining the toolkit is the beginning of our work; we are not claiming that we have already reduced our emissions or achieved an award.
Why return inhalers to a pharmacy?
Some inhalers contain propellant gases that can contribute to climate change if the inhaler is put in a household bin and ends up in landfill. Please take all used or unwanted inhalers to a community pharmacy, even if they seem empty. The pharmacy can arrange safe disposal, or recycling where a suitable scheme is available. There is currently no nationwide inhaler recycling scheme, so returning an inhaler does not necessarily mean its components will be recycled.
Please do not stop using an inhaler or change the type you use for environmental reasons without speaking to your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist. The right treatment and good control of your breathing come first.
Other simple ways to help
Check what medicines you already have before ordering a repeat prescription, and request only what you need this time. If you have unused medicines, side effects or questions about your treatment, speak to the practice or your pharmacist. Unwanted medicines should also be returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal.
Where it is suitable for your health and circumstances, walking or cycling a short journey can support wellbeing and help reduce air pollution. Every patient’s circumstances are different, and there is no expectation to travel in a way that does not work for you.
Follow our progress
September 2026: We have joined the Green Impact for Health Toolkit and committed to reviewing our carbon footprint and sharing inhaler return advice with patients.
We will add updates here as our work develops.
Find further information on the Greener Practice website.
Find more information about the toolkit on the Green Impact website.
