New Green Plan approved by Trust Board
Our new Green Plan – Greening with PRIDE – has been approved by our Board of Directors which sets out how our Trust will become more sustainable.
The plan sets out our actions to reduce our carbon footprint over the next two years and to support the national goal of making the NHS net zero by 2045.
Over the last year we have created new green groups across the organisation and have more than 400 Green Champions. We have removed desflurane – the most volatile anaesthetic gas – from our operating theatres, we are reducing waste by using remanufactured electrophysiology catheters in Cardiology and where appropriate switching from intravenous to oral antibiotics to improve sustainability.
Greening with PRIDE builds on our first Green Plan that was published in 2022 to reduce carbon footprint and make sustainability a part of everything we do.
Simon Hackwell, Executive Lead for Sustainability, said: “The acceleration of climate change presents a significant health challenge to our population and NNUH will see an increase in patient admissions with climate related diagnoses. Our responsibility for patient care is not just about the patient in front of us but extends to the wider community we serve and legacy we wish to leave to our successors.”
“The good thing is by embedding sustainability into our Trust we will not only reduce our impact on the environment, but also improve patient outcomes and staff wellbeing as well as provide financial savings.”
Greening with PRIDE outlines our commitment and actions to:
- Reduce non-sterile glove use by 50% by May 2026 and reduce clinical waste by 10% by 2026.
- Work with partners to remove piped nitrous oxide from our operations by 2026 and ensure the adequate capture and destruction of Entonox.
- Develop an options appraisal for decarbonising heat by 2025 and replace gas boilers with a more sustainable solution by 2030.
- Deliver a 50% reduction in carbon emissions produced from waste by 2026 by introducing an offensive waste stream.
- Reduce electrical demand by 30% through lifecycle efficiency and other ‘switch off’/demand projects.
- Reduce consumables and eliminate single use plastics where practical, working to increase sterile services capacity over time.
- Work to reduce meat consumption by 30% by 2032, deliver a new food digestor by March 2026 and use more locally and seasonally sourced food.
Ellen Goodwin, Sustainability Manager, added: ““With around 4% of the country’s carbon emissions, the NHS has an essential role to play in meeting net zero targets. Our new Green Plan takes us to within four years of NHS England’s ambition to reduce direct emissions by 80% from 1990. Our current estimate suggests that our carbon footprint is still increasing although our efficiency is improving. We are embedding and adapting the way we work to be more informed and responsible consumers.”
View the new Green Plan https://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/NNUHGREENPLAN110924.pdf