RCGP urges Government to unlock green investment for GP practices

The Royal College of GPs is calling on the Government to extend green investment schemes to GP practices, warning that the NHS’s net zero ambitions will not be met without greater support for general practice.

Primary care accounts for around 25% of the NHS's carbon emissions, with many GP teams working in ageing, energy-inefficient buildings in desperate need of upgrading.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband MP,  Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Chair of the RCGP – which represents more than 54,000 GPs across the UK – calls on him to simplify and improve GP access to decarbonisation schemes and open up the GB Energy investment model to reduce the carbon footprint of primary care premises.

Prof Tzortziou Brown said: “The climate emergency is a health emergency, and the NHS has made a bold commitment to become the world’s first net zero health service. But this simply won’t be achievable unless general practice is properly supported to decarbonise.”

The College warns that, while RCGP polling of more than 600 GP partners shows strong willingness within practices to improve sustainability, with 65% having taken some steps in the last five years, these actions have largely been small, incremental measures, such as introducing recycling or switching energy tariffs. Progress towards more substantial improvements is being held back by a lack of funding. The same survey found that 69% of GP partners identify insufficient capital funding as a key barrier to improving the sustainability of their premises. 

Because of the way many GP practices are owned and managed, the vast majority of GP practices are unable to access existing forms of national support set up to cut their carbon emissions.

Research carried out by the College has found that despite ministerial reassurance, only five GP practices in England & Wales have been able to take advantage of the Boiler Upgrade Grant scheme since its launch in May 2022. In addition, practices are generally not able to apply to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme including NHS Property Services, which manage 1,500 practices across England.

Unlike hospitals, practices are also unable to benefit from any GB Energy investments, a company set up by the Government to accelerate renewable energy, lower energy bills and support the UK’s net zero ambitions.

Professor Tzortziou Brown continues: “Our members want to act but when many are struggling to keep their heads above water financially there often isn’t room in the practice budget for the upgrades they need to become more sustainable. Too many practices are falling through the gaps, locked out of existing schemes that only a handful of GP practices are benefitting from. “If we are, rightly, going to invest in making our hospitals greener and more energy efficient, it makes sense to extend this support to GP practices, or we risk leaving the job unfinished.

“Extending GB Energy investment to GP practices would be a practical, cost-effective way to cut carbon, future-proof the primary care estate and show real leadership on climate-smart healthcare.”

In her letter, Prof Tzortziou Brown argues that targeted investment into measures such as insulation, heat pumps and solar panels for practices would cut emissions, lower energy bills and improve working conditions for staff and patients, with the potential for savings to be redirected into frontline care.

Commenting further, she says: “Decades of underfunding have left many GPs working out of inefficient and ageing buildings, including with drafty windows and leaking roofs. Premises are often poorly insulated, and GP partners face eye watering energy bills trying to heat them. If we saw funding for improvements directed towards general practice, it would not only support a greener NHS but save much needed money that could be better spent making improvements for our patients.”

Alongside calling for government action, the RCGP is supporting practices to reduce their environmental impact through its own initiatives such as its Net Zero Hub and the Green Impact for Health Toolkit.

Full letter to the Secretary of State

Dear Secretary of State,  

I am writing on behalf of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), which represents over 54,000 GPs across the UK, to request a meeting to discuss the possibility of improving GPs access to decarbonisation schemes and using GB Energy to invest in reducing the carbon footprint of the general practice estate. 

Primary care accounts for around 25% of the NHS's carbon emissions, with many GPs working in ageing, energy-inefficient buildings with high running costs. 

69% of GP partners across the UK who responded to our latest member survey identify a lack of capital funding as the key barrier to taking further action to improve sustainability at their practice. However, because of the way many GP practices are owned and managed, they are unable to access most existing forms of support to cut their carbon emissions. We have carried out some research into the eligibility criteria and allocations of the main national sources of funding and found that: 

Unlike hospitals, GP practices are unable to benefit from any GB Energy investments.

Only 5 GP practices in England & Wales have been able to take advantage of the Boiler Upgrade Grant scheme since its launch in May 2022. 

The vast majority of GP practices are unable to access the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, including the 1,500 managed by NHS Property Services. 

The Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund, which had enabled public sector bodies access to specialist skills and expertise to support heat decarbonisation across their estates, received no funding allocation for 2025/26.

In this context, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or the responsible Minister to explore how to ensure that GP practices are better able access support to help cut their carbon emissions, including opening up GB Energy's investment model.

Taking action to decarbonise GP estates is essential for meeting the NHS's ambitious Net Zero targets and lowering running costs for practices, freeing up vital resources for frontline patient care. It would also represent a visible demonstration of this Government's leadership on climate, public health and the long-term sustainability of the NHS. 

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely, 

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown OBE
Chair of Council
CC: Karin Smyth MP, Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care   

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

• Building a net zero NHS
• Great British Energy to cut bills for hospitals and schools
• The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.
• Written Parliamentary Question response from 13 June 2025, outlining national support for GP practices
• Savanta was commissioned by RCGP to deliver the GP Voice Survey 2025. The survey was in field between 28 July 2025 and 20 August 2025, and it received a total of 2,316 responses, of which 2,108 from practicing GPs, from across the UK. Responses from England were weighted on the basis of gender, region, and age in line with data from NHS England’s GP workforce data.