View our current tree-funding and carbon-avoidance figures on Ecologi.
There is a link to our Ecologi profile in the footer of this website, and this post explains what sits behind it. Sustainability is not the first thing people associate with a clinical pharmacy service, but remote delivery can reduce routine travel and paper administration, and we put money into climate projects on top of that.
Through Ecologi, Virtual Pharmacist funds tree planting and carbon-avoidance projects. You can see the current contributions and project details on our Ecologi profile.
How remote delivery can reduce travel
Our pharmacists and technicians work remotely, from home, across the UK. They deliver clinical pharmacy work inside each practice’s own clinical systems rather than travelling to sites.
This can avoid routine commuting and travel between practice sites, and reduce paper administration. Remote delivery still uses energy at home and through digital infrastructure, so its overall footprint needs to be assessed across the service.
Reducing avoidable travel is one part of managing our environmental impact. We have not published a measured comparison of our total footprint with an equivalent in-person service.
Tree planting and carbon avoidance through Ecologi
Ecologi is a UK climate company that funds tree planting and certified carbon reduction projects on behalf of its members. Our contributions support reforestation work and carbon-avoidance schemes such as renewable energy and clean cookstoves, each listed with its verification details on our Ecologi profile.
Our public Ecologi profile records the trees funded and tonnes of CO2e avoided through the projects we support. These project contributions are separate from measuring or reducing the emissions of our own service.
Funding climate projects does not replace reducing our own emissions. Our Ecologi contributions complement efforts to reduce avoidable emissions.
Why this fits with a greener NHS
The NHS has committed to reaching net zero by 2040 for the emissions it controls directly, and by 2045 for its wider supply chain, through the Greener NHS programme. Medicines and the supply chain account for a large share of that footprint, so suppliers are increasingly asked about their environmental impact during procurement.
A clinical pharmacy service that is remote by design, and that funds verified climate projects on top, fits where the NHS is going on emissions. For practices, PCNs and ICBs that are starting to think about their own carbon reporting, assessing supplier emissions and reduction plans is one practical part of the picture.
What we are doing, and what we are not claiming
We are a growing company, and this is a modest contribution rather than a grand programme. We are not claiming to be carbon neutral across everything we do, and we are not going to dress up tree planting as something bigger than it is.
What we can say is straightforward. The service is designed to reduce routine travel and paper administration, we fund climate projects through Ecologi, and we will keep adding to that as the company grows. If that matters to your organisation, it is easy to check and easy to ask us about.
About Virtual Pharmacist
Virtual Pharmacist provides managed clinical pharmacy services for GP practices, PCNs and ICBs across England. Our clinicians work remotely within your clinical systems to support medication reviews, prescribing queries, prescription signing by our independent prescribers, medicines optimisation and clinical governance.
You can read more about us, see our Ecologi impact forest, or get in touch to talk about how the service could work for your organisation.
Get involved: support climate projects
You can do the same for your organisation. Through Ecologi you can support tree planting and climate projects, whether that is for yourself, your practice or your wider team. If you sign up through our link, you and Virtual Pharmacist each get five extra trees added to our forests.
Explore climate projects on Ecologi
Frequently asked questions
What is Ecologi?
Ecologi is a UK climate company that lets businesses and individuals fund tree planting and certified carbon reduction projects. Members get a public profile, called an impact forest, that shows the trees funded and carbon-avoidance contributions over time.
How many trees has Virtual Pharmacist funded?
Our Ecologi profile shows the current number of trees funded, carbon-avoidance contributions and the projects supported. Follow the profile link on this page for the latest figures.
How do climate-project contributions help?
Contributions fund projects described on our Ecologi profile. We treat them as additional support for climate action alongside efforts to reduce avoidable emissions; they do not establish that our service is carbon neutral.
Is a remote clinical pharmacy service better for the environment?
A remote service can reduce routine travel between sites and paper administration. Its total environmental impact also includes home energy use, digital infrastructure and other activities; a measured comparison is needed to establish whether the overall footprint is lower.
How does this support the NHS net zero goal?
The NHS is working towards net zero by 2040 for the emissions it controls and 2045 for its supply chain. Reducing avoidable travel and supporting climate projects can contribute to environmental action. Practices, PCNs and ICBs should assess supplier emissions and reduction plans when preparing their own carbon reporting.
Where can I see Virtual Pharmacist’s sustainability impact?
Our live impact is on our Ecologi profile at ecologi.com/virtualpharmacist, which is also linked in the footer of this website.
