The NHS is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 80% by 2050

Due to an increase in the growth of services, the carbon footprint of NHS England is now said to be 21 million tonnes a year, based on 2007 figures. This is an increase of three million tonnes since 2004. The rise is also being put down to the fact that since the earlier guidance, conventions now demand other greenhouse gases rather than just carbon dioxide be taken into considerations.

 

 

The situation is revealed in an update to the NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy which was unveiled by the NHS Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) earlier this month.

 

Its director, David Pencheon, said: “The update highlights both opportunities and the scale of the challenges ahead, which have not got any easier.

 

“The carbon footprint for NHS England has now risen to 21 tonnes per year and this is larger than some medium-sized countries.”

 

The document offers advice and a number of tools which trusts can use to help them meet the target of an overall reduction of 80% in emissions by 2050. It is anticipated such an achievement could save the health service up to £180m a year.

 

“The carbon footprint for NHS England has now risen to 21 tonnes per year and this is larger than some medium-sized countries”

“We see this update as an essential step in the journey for the NHS as the importance of reducing emissions will grow over the coming decades,” Pencheon adds.

 

“A low carbon NHS is good for health and, if you act early, it is an opportunity to save your organisation money, but also to help the NHS become a quality sustainable healthcare service.”

 

As well as setting out the current status, the document suggests a number of key areas for trusts to concentrate on. Suggestions include:

 

It also outlines the impact of refurbishments and new builds projects, as well as the reductions which can be secured through low-carbon travel plans and changes to operational activities.

 

“Reducing wastage and generating efficiency savings will make NHS procurement more financially sustainable and also save a considerable amount of carbon”

But, by far the biggest impact will be made through improved procurement, which accounts for around 60% of the service’s overall carbon emissions.

 

The report states: “The NHS spends £20 billion a year on goods and services. Reducing wastage and generating efficiency savings will make NHS procurement more financially sustainable and also save a considerable amount of carbon.”

 

Due to its impact on the overall figures, separate guidance has been published alongside the update which demonstrates how trusts can work alongside suppliers.

 

Procuring for the future 

While the amount spent on procuring goods and services is huge, and the NHS does not have direct control over all the actions of its supply chains, according to the new Procuring for Carbon Reduction Strategy, there is scope for improvement and influence in many areas.

 

The document includes a range of supporting materials, resources and tools developed as a first stage in the battle to bring about change. This toolkit consists of

 

 

In addition to these materials, the SDU has been working with a range of NHS and other organisations on a series of pilot studies. These have been initiated to help illustrate key principles and provide examples of good and best practice.

 

The procurement report states: “The roadmap and supporting items are primarily designed as tools for procurement staff. However, there is a wider message and opportunity that all NHS organisations should be aware of. Reducing carbon and procuring sustainably should be a corporate priority and included in your organisation’s sustainable development management plan. It should have an assigned strategic and operational lead to ensure progress is monitored and commitments/targets achieved. Procuring in a carbon-sensitive way should be communicated to all staff and those who supply NHS organisations.”

 

The roadmap provides an indication of the reduction in emissions required through procurement to keep the NHS in line with regulatory UK targets.

 

 

The report adds: “It is clear this is a significant change and one which will require everyone in the NHS to think creatively about how to deliver health and social care now and into the future. Substitution, innovation and effective engagement with suppliers will all become significant elements of carbon reduction strategies.

 

“The NHS has a responsibility, as the largest employer and public sector emitter of carbon, to take this issue seriously. It also has a unique status, given its size and procurement budgets, to lead the change and drive the creation of low carbon markets.”

 

And it claims relationships and collaborations between NHS bodies and their suppliers are key to providing the largest savings.

 

“The NHS is not in this alone,” it states. “All organisations are beginning to look at their carbon impacts and are addressing the same challenges. There will be more chance of success by working together.

 

“[This report] aims to provide procurement professionals, as well as other staff in the NHS, with guidance, methodologies and tools to identify and understand the carbon reduction opportunities for their organisations.

 

“But the emissions reduction challenge means no-one can afford to sit back and wait for someone else to find the solution. Starting to take action today and accepting the learning on the way is important”

“It is recognised that the NHS does not have total control over what it procures and the supply chains associated with that activity. It is also clear that there are large gaps in our understanding about the root of carbon emissions associated with much of what is bought. But the emissions reduction challenge means no-one can afford to sit back and wait for someone else to find the solution. Starting to take action today and accepting the learning on the way is important.

 

“The NHS is at the forefront of work on how to influence carbon emissions associated with procurement and is in many cases leading the way.

“The materials associated with this document are a first attempt at answering the questions of what to do and how to do it. Practitioners across a range of NHS organisations need to apply their experience to these materials to help strengthen and improve them.

 

“Using this guidance should help you prepare your organisation to buy more sustainably and to understand the carbon impacts of what you buy, use and waste and to start reducing carbon emissions today.”

 

The report also offers four top tips for organisations to help them get started:

 

 

And Pencheon is advising trusts to ensure they have signed up to the Good Corporate Citizen Model, a tool designed to help individuals and organisations make a significant contribution to sustainable development.

 

 

It features a self assessment test to help understand and monitor progress, guidance on how to develop good corporate citizenship within an organisation, case studies with inspirational ideas on new things to do, resources to give further information and tips and a forum to allow networking.

 

Benefits of signing up include:

 

“How the NHS behaves – as an employer, purchaser, manager of transport, energy, waste and water, as a landholder and commissioner of building work and as an influential partner in many communities – can make a huge difference to sustainability in the UK”

Developed by the Sustainable Development Commission in 2006 with funding from the Department of Health, the model was revised late last year in co-operation with the SDU.

 

Pencheon said: “How the NHS behaves – as an employer, purchaser, manager of transport, energy, waste and water, as a landholder and commissioner of building work and as an influential partner in many communities – can make a huge difference to sustainability in the UK.”

 

For more information on the reports and all the associated guidance and tools, click on the links below