In this introductory blog, Shelford Sustainability Leads Darshan Patel (Sustainability and Improvement Programme Manager, Imperial College Healthcare Trust), Claire Igoe (Group Associate Director of Sustainability, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) and James Dixon (Associate Director of Sustainability, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) set out how the sustainability agenda in the NHS is fundamentally rooted in health and wellbeing, and describe our members’ role in contributing to the NHS net zero target.
Health is the human face of climate change
Climate change is not in the future, it is happening now. Human-induced climate change is already having widespread effects on the environment, causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature, and affecting the lives of billions of people.
In delivering high quality healthcare, the NHS is a large contributor to global heating and air pollution. It produces 40% of public sector climate change emissions and is associated with around 3.5% of all road travel in the UK.
Climate change and air pollution threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for patients, the public and the NHS. Here in the UK, air pollution is the single greatest environmental threat to human health, accounting for 1 in 20 deaths. In London one in four primary schools are located in poor air areas, with four in five of these located in the most deprived boroughs; and on average four Londoners, including one child, are hospitalised each day due to asthma caused by air pollution. Mitigating climate change and tackling air pollution therefore not only helps the planet, it also helps strengthen the NHS by protecting health.
There is an urgent imperative to act to save lives, improve health and tackle health inequalities. On 1 July 2022, the NHS became the first health system in the world to embed net zero carbon into legislation, committing to doing so by 2045.
Tackling climate change is a core function of anchor organisations
As set out in previous blogs, Shelford Group members take a broader view of the role they play in improving the health and wellbeing of their local populations. Adopting an ‘anchor organisation’ perspective creates a new dynamic role for trusts, where we set out to optimise the wider ways we can support local population health.
As anchor institutions, NHS organisations can make a difference to local people by reducing their environmental impact. Our Shelford Group members have engaged, supported, and worked to create multidisciplinary teams across their respective Trusts to proactively bring about change that is reducing our collective greenhouse gas emissions at all operational levels.
The North Manchester General Hospital redevelopment will be built to net-zero standards, and will maximise active travel infrastructure. Maternity services in Newcastle were the first in the UK to use innovative technology to capture exhaled emissions from pain relief given to mothers, which ‘cracks’ the pain relief gases back into nitrogen and oxygen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will reduce carbon emissions by 1,000 tonnes a year, and has the potential to expand to 2,000 tonnes a year if rolled out across the Trust. At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the implementation of a computer power management system that powers down idle computers is on track to deliver annual carbon savings of around 520 tonnes, alongside cost savings from reducing wasted electricity of around £440,000.
Shelford Group members are acting to improve air quality through tackling the emissions from staff commuting, business travel, and logistics, as well as working with transport authorities to improve access by public transport and active travel to hospital sites. We are addressing healthcare needs linked to air quality; delivering improvements to greenspaces and biodiversity on our estates, and bringing together local authorities with clinicians to ensure that patients suffering from health conditions related to cold and damp homes are signposted to a range of appropriate support and personalised resources. Working with our estates and facilities colleagues, we are installing upgrades and retrofits to our buildings to reduce emissions through cleaner and greener heating, including large scale installations of heat-pumps, as well as building upgrades such as insulation, solar PV and LED lighting.
Collaboration, generating practical learning, and sharing best practice
The Shelford Sustainability Group is made up of sustainability leads from across the ten Shelford trusts. In recognition of the serious threat climate change presents, some Shelford trusts and ICSs have declared climate emergencies – by working as a collaborative of large organisations, we believe we can learn and achieve more.
In considering how to maximise impact, the group has split its work and focus into three key areas:
- People
We explore topics such as engaging the clinical workforce, training and development, and behaviour change initiatives to help staff actively contribute to the sustainability agenda. - Policy
We engage with senior leaders from the national Greener NHS programme, explore collaborations with other Shelford sub-groups, and look at where we can best influence wider NHS policy to deliver shared goals. - Pounds
We explore areas where we can invest to save both carbon and money, such as leveraging additional generation of renewable energy, exploring the investments needed and the cost savings that can be delivered via Green Plans.
Over the next year, Shelford Sustainability Leads will be working in collaboration with Chief Pharmacists, Chief Medical Officers, Transformation Leads and other stakeholders to hold interdisciplinary learning sessions on the reduction of nitrous oxide wastage – a medical gas with a high global warming potential – with the aim of accelerating the current 7% year on year rate of reduction.
To find out more, contact info@shelfordgroup.org to be put in touch with the relevant member of the Sustainability Leads group.