The NHS’s 2023 Sustainability Agenda
Last year, our events were full to the brim with talks from NHS professionals and those at the forefront of the industry, speaking on the exciting innovations and developments surrounding sustainability in the NHS.
But as we move into 2023, we recognise that a new year brings both new challenges as well as new opportunities. So, we decided to kick off 2023 with a webinar inviting NHS professionals to discuss how their sustainability journeys have been going so far and how they see these progressing throughout 2023.
Our speakers included:
Philip Shelley, Senior and Operational Manager at NHS England, Chair of the NHS Food Review 2020
Janet Smith, Joint Head of Sustainability at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Dr. Fanny Burrows, Net-Zero Research and Innovation Technical Lead at NHS England
Paul Chivers, Head of PPE Innovation and Sustainability at NHS Supply Chain
Andrew Bradley, Sustainable Travel Lead, Net-Zero Travel & Transport at NHS England
Janet Smith, Joint Head of Sustainability at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Our webinar was kicked off by Janet Smith, who introduced attendees to what The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s sustainability journey has been like so far and what they have included within their green plan in order to achieve their goals! She spoke about how the Trust has set itself ambition targets, including a 25% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025, net-zero by 2040 and net-zero on NHS carbon footprint plus by 2045.
“From all the initiatives we have run so far, we have already managed to reduce our carbon footprint by 9%.”
“One thing that few people are talking about is the training and upscaling needed of staff to implement and maintain some of the new technologies that we are implementing.”
Janet then went on to talk about the difficulties they often see in gaining staff support on initiatives as it isn’t always at the front of everyone’s minds in their day-to-day roles. The Trust is however working on embedding sustainability practices into their daily roles and routines. She finished off her talk by discussing the importance of employing people who are capable of implementing and upkeeping sustainability projects.
Dr. Fanny Burrows, Net-Zero Research and Innovation Technical Lead at NHS England
We then were joined by Fanny Burrows. Fanny spoke to our attendees about how the Net-Zero Research and Innovation Team at NHS England are working on researching the best new sustainable treatments and technologies that not only benefit the environment, but also build the best possible level of patient care. She spoke about the importance of researching what areas within the NHS are in need of new innovative developments so that this can be communicated to potential researchers and investors.
“We need to find and articulate the problems that the NHS is facing so that researchers and investors are aware of the areas in which we most need to see that innovation.”
“We are really excited to hear about these new projects and help to push them forward.”
She then went on to speak about how her team is working closely alongside the Greener NHS team to drive those greener practices and push the NHS towards their net-zero target. Fanny then ended her presentation by explaining how the program she works on was able to award a huge £1 million to innovative projects with specifically green benefits.
Andrew Bradley, Sustainable Travel Lead, Net-Zero Travel & Transport at NHS England
Andrew York then followed on to speak about the work he does within the Net-Zero Travel and Transport team. He explained that his area of expertise (being staff, patient, and business travel) was responsible for around 15% of the NHS’s total carbon emissions. Meaning that the reduction of emissions within this area has the potential to make a huge difference to the NHS’s overall emissions. He then ran through some of the projects that have been put in place so far.
“These initiatives may seem simple to some, but they haven’t been so easy to implement.”
“We set up ‘Step up a Gear’, a network created to spot initiatives that have come from Trusts which can be shared over a two-year period with the rest of the NHS. We show people how investments and decisions made in certain spaces can create these outcomes.”
Some of the initiatives introduced so far have been things like looking to reduce travel, supporting staff and patient cycling schemes, and vehicle sharing. He explained how some of these schemes aren’t always viable for everyone, and the difficulties they face trying to get people out of their cars and into more sustainable modes of travel. Andrew then finished his talk by explaining the ‘Step up a Gear’ scheme that the NHS has implemented.
Philip Shelley, Senior and Operational Manager at NHS England and Chair of the NHS Food Review 2020
We then moved on to hear from Philip Shelley. Having served as National Chair of the Hospital Catering Association, Philip proactively drives collaboration between fellow organisations such as the British Dietetic Association, Health Estates and Facilities Management Association, and Malnutrition Task Force, with the aim to strengthen a holistic approach to catering services for patients, staff, and visitors in healthcare. Philip talked through his team’s plan that is due to be rolled out over the coming 12 months to build net-zero around food in the NHS.
“I’m often told that I’m the foodie of the panel, which I think seems apt for a lunchtime webinar!”
“Having an accessible platform for all NHS staff to continue to learn and develop their skills is absolutely essential. We need to educate staff on food safety, balanced meals, and the carbon footprint of those meals.”
Philip spoke about the need for sustainability thought around food procurement, as well as the huge benefits to both patients and the NHS of healthy, balanced eating. He spoke about the need to promote healthy food in the community as well as serve it in hospitals. He then finished his presentation by explaining how important it is to educate NHS staff on elements surrounding food including food safety, balanced meals, and the carbon footprint of food.
Paul Chivers, Head of PPE Innovation and Sustainability at NHS Supply Chain
Our final speaker of the day was Paul Chivers. Paul’s presentation centred on the innovation happening around sustainable PPE within the NHS. He kicked off his presentation by talking about the sheer level of waste that is created by single use PPE in the NHS. He told attendees that there are around 2 million people working across healthcare using single-use PPE items, which inherently creates an incredible amount of waste. Paul then when on to talk through some of the projects his team has undertaken so far!
“We have seen a 33% reduction on the six to seven billion gloves being used in healthcare – a significant amount!”
“When looking at the pandemic preparedness stock, you could save £8 million and you’d have 799 fewer vehicles on the road just for switching from single-use masks to reusable.”
Paul then went on to discuss the benefits of switching from single-use PPE methods to reusable methods on both the environment as well as it lowering the cost to the NHS over time. He spoke about companies that had made huge developments within this area. He also explained how much of a difference it would make to pandemic preparedness stock if we switched to reusable.
We were thrilled to hear about all the new and upcoming developments being made across the NHS to push towards those net-zero targets. A collaborative approach is needed to truly strive for a greener future within the NHS. If you would like more information or are interested in speaking on one of our future webinars, please do not hesitate to get in contact.