Environmental and Carbon Reduction Policy

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Mile Oak Medical Centre is committed to minimising the environmental impacts of our operational activities. We will conduct all aspects of our business with due regard to the environment and its habitats. We will actively investigate new opportunities to take advantage of environmentally friendly initiatives and developments.

Our commitment is to:

• Continuously improve our environmental performance and integrate recognised environmental management best practice into our operational activities.
• Reduce our consumption of resources and improve the efficient use of those resources.
• Measure and take action to reduce the carbon footprint of our operational activities to meet our published objectives and targets.
• Manage waste generated from our operational activities according to the principles of reduction, re-use and recycling.
• Manage our operational activities to prevent pollution.
• Give due consideration to environmental issues and energy performance in the acquisition, design, refurbishment, location and use of buildings.
• Ensure environmental (including climate change) criteria are taken into account in the procurement of goods and services.
• Comply as a minimum with all relevant environmental legislation as well as other environmental requirements to which Mile Oak Medical Centre subscribe.

To meet our commitments we will:

• Provide oversight and review of Environmental Policies and performance, and allocate resources for their effective direction and implementation.
• Include Greener Practice reviews at every regular practice management and whole team meeting.
• Make sure all-new and replacement equipment, including heating, cooling, or other energy-use items will be co-selected on the basis of low energy use and environmental impact.
• Take environmental considerations will into account in every major business decision.
• Recycle toner cartridges and batteries via a charity collection scheme or other agreed environmentally friendly disposal route.
• Segregate and recycle all paper, cardboard, kitchen plastics and aluminium waste.
• Purchase envelopes or other paper supplies as recycled paper where practicable.
• Where possible, communicate the routine elements of our business by electronic means to avoid paper use. Printing will be kept to a minimum. When printing does occur, it will be done on double -sided paper using draft printer options.
• Set and monitor key objectives and targets for managing our environmental performance at least annually.
• Communicate internally and externally our Environmental Policy and performance on a regular basis, and encourage feedback.
• Communicate the importance of environmental issues to our employees and encourage staff to use energy efficient means to travel to and from work.
• Work together with our employees, service partners, suppliers and their agents to promote improved environmental performance; contractors will be selected in line with consideration of their environmental procedures.
• Promote appropriate consideration of sustainability and environmental issues in the services we provide to our patients.
• ‘Power down’ rooms which are not in use and will close them off for the inactive period.
• Monitor and adjust time clocks, controls and thermostats for the heating system and the air conditioning/cooling system to optimise energy use seasonally. Heating and cooling systems will also be turned down/off at weekends and bank holidays.
• Service annually all heating and electrical equipment where appropriate.
• Clearly identify all waste classified as hazardous and will segregate, and dispose of it by an approved and certified contractor who will provide a consignment note. All clinical waste will be segregated and treated as hazardous. See Appendix A.
• Review our Environmental Policy regularly.

Clinical waste

Clinical waste will be regarded as:

• Human or animal tissue
• Blood or bodily fluids
• Excretions
• Drugs or pharmaceutical products
• Sharps
• Dressings
• Swabs
• Sanitary towels, nappies or similar waste
• Pathology samples
• Used PPE (personal protective equipment) e.g. gloves, masks, gowns.
• Used paper products from treatment / patient rooms, including those used for hand drying
• Any other waste which may carry the risk of passing on an infection to others

The definition of clinical waste also includes items or waste produced by practice clinical staff in a patient’s own home. It is the staff member’s responsibility to arrange for disposal of these items as hazardous waste. If items are non-hazardous, it is acceptable to dispose of these items in household waste on the condition that they are sealed in a suitable bag or container.