Inhalers: environmentally safe disposal and other useful resources
There are several patient-facing resources available on the appropriate disposal of inhalers.
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- A+LUK in partnership with NHS England have a range of resources on high quality lower carbon respiratory care, including information of disposal of inhalers.
- Materials include a handout (in a range of languages), easy read version and a video.
- NICE published a Patient decision aid on asthma inhalers and climate change and advises patients to return empty inhalers to pharmacies to be disposed of correctly.
- NHS asthma treatment website page shares information about disposal of inhalers.
- Posters, social media and website cards for primary care have been developed by Academic Health Science Network Northeast and North Cumbria.
Clinicians/Systems – the following resources are available:
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- Community Pharmacy England published a briefing on Reducing the climate change impact of inhalers: environmentally safe. This is to meet the 2022/23 Pharmacy Quality Scheme requirement for all patient-facing pharmacy staff to have been trained on the reasons why used, unwanted and expired inhalers should be returned to the pharmacy for safe disposal and the adverse effects on the environment when they are disposed in domestic waste. The resource is useful pharmacy staff but also NHS Clinicians and patient-facing staff.
- Greener Practice has resources on high quality lower carbon respiratory care with information on inhaler disposal included in How to reduce the carbon footprint of inhaler prescribing.
- Also Greener Practice has an asthma review visual aid which has been endorsed by Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) ARNS and A+LUK. Useful prompt to encourage the appropriate disposal of inhalers.