The NHS has committed to respond to the climate change challenge and the national ambition aims to improve healthcare whilst reducing harmful carbon emissions.
One of the ways that we can help towards this ambition as a practice is by changing unbranded salbutamol inhalers prescribed to patients to a Salamol or Airomir inhaler. Both of these inhalers contain salbutamol and patients should not notice any difference. These inhalers use a different propellant with a smaller aluminium container and plastic housing and are therefore a much “greener” product.
Changing to a dry powder inhaler will have even more benefit for the environment and you might want to discuss this when you next have an asthma or COPD review.
We will soon be texting patients to gain consent before making this switch. We would strongly urge patients to return all used and unwanted inhalers to their pharmacy as these can be safely incinerated or recycled.