3 minute read
Greener Practice asks Scottish healthcare leaders: ‘what if we got it right?’
Imagine the healthcare system of the future: prevention-focused, resilient, sustainable and cost effective, with a healthier population and planet as a result. Realising this vision is undoubtedly complex and challenging – but what if we got it right? This is the question at the heart of an event organised by leaders of Greener Practice (GrP) in Scotland, taking place on Wednesday 23 September at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow.
The aim is to bring together stakeholders from across health and care and encourage key agencies to work together towards a shared vision. Speakers include Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith. Delegates will also hear from the Lancet Countdown Europe, the WHO Pan European Commission on Climate and Health and about the most recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, before having a conversation about what this means for Scotland, and how to respond to these challenges and create a sustainable, resilient and equitable health system for Scotland.
Scottish GrP leads decided to organise the event after presenting a paper to the Scottish Government last year, highlighting six key areas for change – prevention, prescribing, quality, education, premises and transport/infrastructure. The paper offered practical solutions to address these issues, drawn up by healthcare professionals treating patients on the front line of primary care. Analysis by GrP authors showed significant alignment with the Scottish Government’s own thinking.
Dr Guy Pilsworth (pictured right), chair of Greener Practice Glasgow and a GP Partner in Bearsden near Glasgow, is leading the initiative. He explains, ‘A group of us in primary care and public health wrote a discussion paper for Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer last year and presented it to the Scottish Government in April 2025. This collaboration made me realise the shared interests between public health and primary care. The Scottish Government published their Population Health Framework in June 2025. The two documents share many of the same themes. We believe that ongoing collaboration between primary care, public health and secondary care is the best way to tackle the challenges we face. In particular, prevention is going to become increasingly important as a way to mitigate costs, improve health and reduce environmental harms. In primary care, our super-powers are context and trust. We understand our patients and where they live. We are a trusted source of information and support, and uniquely placed to say what will work in practice and what won’t.’
This event invites leaders and decision-makers to come together, learn from each other and unite around a shared vision for the future of healthcare in Scotland. We want to explore the barriers to change and the levers that can make change happen, and identify opportunities for collaboration across sectors and communities. Every journey begins with first steps and practical actions. Greener Practice has already demonstrated that small measures can make a big difference, with our Quality Improvement Projects enabling positive change in primary care at local level. The move towards more sustainable ways of working, led by key organisations and adopted at national level across the healthcare system, will be truly transformative. During the event, we want to identify some initial actions we can all get behind, tangible wins that begin to build momentum towards the better, more sustainable health care system we all envisage.
‘What if we got it right?’ is also supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland (RCGPScotland), Public Health Scotland, Design HOPES and the Glasgow Changing Futures programme.