A new NHS Providers report has established how trusts are taking the initiative in reducing carbon emissions and improving sustainability.
The NHS is responsible for four per cent of the country's carbon footprint and has a central role to play in efforts to reduce carbon emissions and meet the national net zero targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. The NHS' ambition is to become a net zero health service for emissions it controls directly by 2040, and for emissions it can influence by 2045.
The report, which looks at the barriers and enablers for trust boards to make change happen and shares good practice from trusts across the country, highlights how a significant majority of trust leaders, as many as 78 per cent, agree that tackling climate change and promoting sustainability in how they work is a priority in the next year.
Well over half (61 per cent) of respondents told NHS Providers that they have already made changes to their procurement approach, altered transport fleets to cleaner vehicles (51 per cent), developed a plastic reduction plan (49 per cent), and switched energy suppliers to prioritise green energy sources (48 per cent) and over one third have invested in carbon offset schemes, such as tree planting.
However, trusts are at different stages of progress in the face of significant operational pressures as a result of the pandemic. Ahead of an upcoming deadline for trusts to submit 'green plans' by April 2022, when they were surveyed, only just over a quarter of respondents felt confident of being able to do so, with the remainder flagging that there was much work still to do.
To help enable trusts to address climate change, the report highlights the importance of a system-wide effort, and the need for ICSs' to also embed sustainability and climate change into their strategies and plans.
Trust leaders also recognise that in order for them to make the far-reaching changes required, access to good examples of best practice, support from peers and industry expertise to supplement their efforts will be critical.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: "Trusts are altering their ways of working, the services they offer, and embedding sustainability into their business as usual. This includes embracing digital, using data to accelerate change, evolving clinical practice with both clinical and environmental benefits in mind, and focusing on the role of trusts as 'anchor institutions' to drive change.
"However, it's also clear that some trusts are more advanced with their planning and delivery than others, and the enormous challenges of managing the pandemic have undoubtedly made this progress even harder.
"As trusts and systems develop their green plans, it will be important that their broader approach galvanises staff to propose changes within their organisations and encourages them to adopt changes in their own lives. That is why engaging with NHS staff and drawing on their enthusiasm for this mission is a common thread throughout our report.
"We support the national focus on sustainability, but more work is needed to help the NHS to move faster and further. This includes examining where supplier relationships need a clear service-wide steer to support large scale improvement in the sustainability of supply chains. And it means looking at how best to ensure a standardised approach to reporting carbon impact, and how to ensure trusts' have appropriate access to capital to support these vital net zero ambitions."
