Sustainability

Health and environmental issues, especially air quality and climate change are directly linked. A worsening climate has negative consequences for public health, but globally, the health sector is a significant contributor to climate change. Nottinghamshire Healthcare recognises the importance of designing and delivering sustainable healthcare services and reducing wherever possible its environmental impact.

 

What are we doing?

We have a board approved Sustainable Development Management Plan (SDMP) also known as a Green Plan, which outlines projects and activities to improve sustainability performance throughout the Trust. The plan covers areas such as staff awareness and engagement, carbon emissions and resource use. Progress on the actions contained within the plan are regularly reported to the Trust’s Senior management. We also have several strategies, developed as part of the SDMP, which focus on specific aspects of sustainability. These are:

• Waste Strategy 2019-2024.pdf [pdf] 556KB
• Water Strategy 2019-2024.pdf [pdf] 430KB
• Energy Strategy 2019-2024.pdf [pdf] 648KB
• Biodiversity and Greenspace Strategy 2019-2024.pdf [pdf] 316KB
• SDMP Planned actions from January to June 2020.pdf [pdf] 162KB

The usual schedule of updates and work on our strategies and SDMP have been delayed by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, a full review of all documentation is underway. Despite the challenges, in the last year some of our biggest achievements include:

• Securing £3.75million of public sector funding to deliver energy efficiency improvements at a number of sites including the expansion of the district heating network at Rampton Hospital and upgrading the BMS
• Reaching nearly 600 Green Champions, the Trust’s largest champion network
• Launching a second year of sustainability behaviour change program, Green Impact
• Creating a Microsoft Teams Channel for our Green Champions and Green Impact teams to facilitate collaboration, discussion and networking
• Planting over 400 trees across 7 different Trust sites with the support of patients
• Leasing an electric vehicle to reduce the travel emissions of the Energy and Environment Department
• Producing a new Waste Management e-learning package available to all staff
• Supporting the launch and operation of COVID-19 mass vaccination centres, arranging waste services at new sites and training staff and volunteers
• Donating over £20,000 of surplus consumables to charity
• Working with Nottingham City Council (NCC) on their CN2028 commitment
• Developing a Sustainability Impact Assessment required for all Trust capital bids
• Expanding our electric vehicle charging network to 25 charge points