Here you will find information, resources and examples from Wales relating to environmental sustainability, decarbonisation and adaptation within primary care settings.
Climate change is the biggest threat to human health of the 21st century as climate-related mortality and morbidity continue to increase. The impacts of climate change affects us all, however climate-sensitive health risks are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Net Zero Wales is an action plan launched by Welsh Government guided by the latest advice from the UK Climate Change Committee, outlining the pathway to achieve net zero emissions in Wales by 2050. There is an ambition and target for the public sector in Wales to be net zero by 2030.
The scale and pace of change needed is considerable and requires everyone to contribute. By participating in Greener Primary Care Wales,you can play your part in making a greener, stronger, fairer Wales.
Greener Primary Care Wales is hosted and delivered by a small team based in the Primary Care Division, Public Health Wales.
The Scheme was launched in 2022 due to the limited availability of resources to support primary care practices in Wales to be greener.
We deliver the Scheme in partnership with the National Union of Students charity SOS UK Green Impact, and our Expert Group.
Our mission is to make healthcare more environmentally sustainable, and our focus is on primary care where 90% of healthcare is delivered. We aim to do this by mobilising primary care practices in Wales to practise more sustainably and to take conscious, small, consistent and progressive steps to both mitigate against and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
We started this work with general practices, community pharmacies, optometry and dental practices but the Scheme is open to any primary care provider in Wales. For example, community dental services and private dental services have also been participating.
Greener Primary Care Wales is a free online framework which contains a broad range of clinical and non-clinical climate-friendly actions. Teams can implement these actions in any order and there is no minimum number required, offering flexibility about how to participate.
Practices can achieve a bronze, silver, or gold award if a threshold of actions is reached. Each action completed equates to 1 point and as the number of points increases, so does the level of award.
Greener Primary Care Wales is for anyone working within, or with an interest in, primary care and environmental sustainability. It is open to all members of staff in primary care, and teams within participating practices tend to consist of both clinical and non-clinical members of staff.
If you would like to get involved but aren’t sure whether the Scheme is right for you, please email [email protected] and a member of the team will assist you.
Our impact
Since 2022 Greener Primary Care Wales has been advocating, advising and providing tools to empower primary care to lead and implement actions that benefit the environment, their business, staff and patients.
We appreciate it is the people working in practices that make this happen and the efforts and stories from a number of participating practices have been recorded as case studies. You can read the case studies here.
At the end of 2024, 3 years since the launch of Greener Primary Care Wales, we have achieved the following:
548 practices registering with the Scheme
Over 2550 tonnes of CO2ereduced equivalent to driving 6.4 million miles in a petrol car
To find out how the Greener Primary Care Wales Framework and Award Scheme is aligned to key policies, strategies, and legislation, read our Strategic Alignment Infographic. This resource was developed by the Primary Care Division.
Implementing many of the climate-friendly actions featured in the Scheme will not only benefit the environment but will also lead to financial, social and clinical co-benefits.
One of our dental practices who also received the Greener Primary Care Award at the NHS Wales Sustainability Conference and Awards 2025 told us …
“We have reduced our clinical waste disposal contract resulting in an annual saving of £800. We have also reduced our procurement costs for disposable items (e.g. plastic cups, plastic suction tips, sterilisation pouches) equating to an annual saving of over £4000.”
Greener Primary Care Champion videos: these two videos were developed following the Greener Primary Care Champions Initiative: a pilot funded by the programme between October 2023 to March 2024, managed by the Primary Care Division at Public Health Wales:
A collection of video case studies showcasing examples from all four primary care contractors that have participated in the Greener Primary Care Wales Framework and Award Scheme:
By signing up for or joining one or more of the following, you will connect and meet with others like yourself taking action to make their practices more environmentally sustainable.
We hope that by receiving regular information, listening to and collaborating with others you will gain new knowledge, develop green skills and take away ideas of how to implement small steps in your own practice.
Greener Primary Care Wales optional monthly drop-in sessions for registered practices. As a registered practice you will automatically receive invites via email to attend these monthly sessions.
