Patient education and empowerment

Did you know you can engage, educate, and empower patients to take individual action on the climate crisis for the benefit of their health?

Engage with your social prescriber on green schemes for your patients

Promote self-care practices and education

Encourage balanced plant-based diets

Reduce car use and improve physical and mental health

Increased education empowers patients to take control of their own health. This enables increased self-help and self-care, reducing reliance on healthcare services which, consequently, reduces the impact of healthcare on the environment.

Each section of the Green Plan includes resources to educate and inform patients. Practices may wish to send material to individual patients, or utilise content on practice websites, in waiting rooms and on any practice screens.

Many posters now include QR codes that can be scanned by patients on their phones to avoid printing multiple copies.

Having pre-set text message templates which include these resources, using software such as AccuRx, can save time during consultations.

In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, many of our practices are already proactively educating patients through NHS campaigns such as Get in the Know, which empowers patients to self-care where appropriate and by signposting patients to the most appropriate service for their clinical needs.

Click here for patient education and empowerment resources

Helpful information for patients including how to treat minor ailments: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/find-the-right-service/minor-ailments/

Download material an content to educate patients: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/get-in-the-know/information-library/

Additionally, the Greener Practice website has specific information for patients regarding climate change and their health:

https://www.greenerpractice.co.uk/information-and-resources/information-for-patients/