The Chesterfield Royal Hospital is launching its own Green Plan to mark NHS Sustainability Day, recognising that it has a wider responsibility to public health that includes reducing its own carbon footprint.
The Green Plan ties in with a national plan that saw the NHS release its ‘Net Zero Plan’ with the aim of being the world’s first carbon neutral health system. It involved looking at hundreds of different elements to the NHS including transport, electricity, waste, medicines, anaesthetic gases, supply chain and staff commuting, and what we can realistically do to influence the reduction of each one.
The trust has already formed an Environmental Strategy Group with Board representation, a Trust Environmental group that meets regularly to discuss the site environment and how it can be improved and the introduction of more recycling bins across the site to encourage recycling and reduce waste.
Lee Outhwaite, Director of Finance and part of the Environmental Strategy Group, said: “The critical work which we have managed to complete is to fully map the carbon output of all the trust activities in the financial year before the pandemic. We have a carbon baseline to measure from.
“We are also reviewing our approach across the Joined Up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System to make sure we have a common approach and agenda around lessening our overall environmental impact. In the Trust we have specific areas of work we are intending to undertake about reducing carbon, in line with national expectations.”
Sally Ludditt, Health, Safety and Environmental Advisor, added: “We’ve already done quite a bit of work towards reducing our carbon footprint. For example, all of our electricity supplies are 100% renewable, we’ve introduced plastic and tin recycling in all ward areas, we have an online reuse system, paper consumption in the Trust has been dramatically reduced as we become more digital and the estates department are developing a Net Zero road map.
“We’ve installed electric car charging points and intend to introduce more across the Trust, launched a cycle to work scheme enabling staff to get an electric bike and installed new bus shelters and digital displays as part of widespread plans to promote sustainable commuting. Also, sustainability questions now form part of all tendering processes and we’re exploring more environmentally sustainable approaches to heat and power for the Trust.
“It’s quite an undertaking but the Trust has been promoting environmentally friendly activities for some time and we have many enthusiastic staff and a Staff Environment Group who have driven forward initiatives such as recycling, reuse schemes, litter picking and vegan food options. What the Green Plan underlines is our total commitment to the national plan and how we intend to play our part.”
