10.10.16
Carbon reduction is one part of the puzzle – we can tackle it all
Source: NHE Sep/Oct 16
Will Clark, director of environmental services at Capita Health Property & Infrastructure, considers the benefits of sustainable healthcare that go beyond reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The future of the NHS is bright. In the current climate this may seem optimistic, but never before has there been such opportunity for us to make the case for an integrated model of sustainable healthcare in the UK.
Three challenges stand out for those interested in sustainable development in health:
- A £30bn funding gap with increasing demand on resources
- The NHS is the largest public sector emitter of CO2 in the UK with a target to reduce that by 34% by 2020
- Lord Carter’s Review highlights the importance of improving productivity for 1.5 million staff through workplace wellbeing
We consider these challenges to be tangible opportunities for the health sector.
Becoming a carbon-neutral healthcare provider
My team has been working with Sussex Community NHS FT since 2010, leading on delivery of the trust’s sustainable healthcare strategy. It’s called ‘Care Without Carbon’ because that’s what it aims to deliver – quality patient care delivered in a resource-efficient, low-impact way. The strategy focuses on three objectives: cost improvement, carbon reduction and improving workplace wellbeing. The trust has set a long-term aspiration to become a carbon-neutral healthcare provider.
To deliver the changes required by Care Without Carbon we developed a unique seven-step model that touches every aspect of the business. While our sustainability journey began in estates and facilities, it has evolved into something far more holistic, integrated and, ultimately, effective.
The first step was to demonstrate the relevance of the strategy to core business at the trust. To that end, our strategy directly addresses one of the trust’s three strategic goals, which is “to be a strong sustainable business, grounded in our communities and led by excellent staff”. In taking this approach, we have secured full backing from the board, which has been vital to our ability to deliver.
Secondly, we needed to make the business case. Sustainability makes good business sense for the NHS: intelligent management of resources, travel planning and better waste management are good for the environment and can secure substantial financial savings. Many trusts recognise this. However, at Sussex we have discovered that introducing sustainability measures can also be a highly effective tool for enhancing workplace wellbeing, suggesting significant productivity benefits.
As our results demonstrate, we are delivering on our three key objectives:
- Cutting costs: We have realised £3.09m in savings against investment of £877,000 since 2010. This has come from a variety of measures, from our energy management plan to reducing business mileage
- Saving carbon: Our absolute carbon footprint has reduced by 20% (a saving of 1,607 tonnes CO2 per annum). Aligning Care Without Carbon with our Estates Strategy and implementing a Travel Transformation Programme has enabled this progress
- Improving wellbeing: We influence sustainable behaviour change and improve staff wellbeing through our award-winning staff engagement campaign, Dare to Care. This has created a 12% uplift in wellbeing for participants, delivered cost savings of at least £14,634 and saved a further 438 tonnes of CO2. It is now one of the main Organisational Development initiatives at the trust
To explore our results in more depth read our NHS Annual Sustainability Report (link below). The report, a first within the NHS, shares our challenges, progress and next steps as we continue to embed sustainability into the organisational fabric of the trust.
In another NHS first, we collaborated with the New Economics Foundation to develop a unique metric for wellbeing, which will allow us to track the progress of our staff engagement work going forward.
A bright future
Our transformative model for delivering sustainable healthcare really works. My team are now supporting other trusts to build their own sustainable healthcare programmes using our Care Without Carbon model. I believe that across the NHS the potential benefits are huge.
We are also exploring ways our work can enhance patient care and improve health outcomes – ultimately creating more sustainable healthcare by managing demand on services. If we think beyond the immediate challenge of carbon reduction, we are in a unique position to shape healthcare today, and for the future – let us grab the opportunity.
For more information
T: 07867 832071
E: [email protected]
W: capitahealthpartners.co.uk
W: carewithoutcarbon.org
W: http://tinyurl.com/NHE-Sussex-Sustainability
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