The climate emergency is a health emergency. Climate change threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the public and the NHS.
As the biggest employer in this country, there is more that the NHS, working together with its partners can do. The NHS makes up approximately 5% of the UK’s carbon footprint and is striving to be the first national health service to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.
In order to support the NHS net zero ambition, we have developed a strategy for how we will reduce carbon emissions across north east London as an Integrated Care System (ICS), working in collaboration with our partners. It includes four core carbon reduction targets in order to achieve net zero. Our first target is an 80% carbon reduction by 2028.
Responding effectively and with urgency to the climate emergency is an opportunity for us to contribute to our NHS Long-Term Plan and its wider aim of improving health and wellbeing. Carbon is embedded into every decision we make, from the medicines we prescribe to our transport operations, the energy that powers buildings and our significant supply chains that stretch around the globe.
Some of the ways we are currently delivering health and care services in north east London cause a negative impact on the environment and our health and wellbeing. The more we reduce our environmental footprint, the more we positively impact on health and wellbeing in north east London.
Since early 2020 we have been investing in collaborative action on climate change. We developed a climate action network as one of four pillars of our NEL Anchor programme, working with staff on the green agenda to shape the action we take.
Our end goal is that climate action becomes business as usual, and to do this, we are working on a number of workstreams as listed below to help us with becoming a greener NHS.
Through our workforce plan, we will encourage and support all staff across our Integrated Care System in north east London to make low carbon decisions at every stage of service design and delivery.
We will do this by involving staff in our approach and asking ‘what does low carbon mean to you and how can we help you do it?’ We will provide training and support to those learning how, and we will resource and equip those taking a lead through remuneration and career development.
This is the longest running area of action across all of our organisations and the traditional home for action on climate change and environmental improvements. It is here we must raise the bar for our ICS ambition.
Through this workstream we have identified significant opportunities to support other partner’s capital investments – as well as gathering the insight to make informed decisions on future collaborative projects which will create change at scale.
Climate change is already affecting health and care services, from increased overheating in hospitals, to more frequent risk and disruption from flooding and high winds. It is essential that we work together across our infrastructure and supply chains to prevent and minimise the impact on our services, patients and residents.
Carbon is embedded in every spending decision we make. We will equip all procurement staff with the tools and commitment to enable low carbon decisions, and take advantage of collaborative opportunities.
Anaesthetic gases make up 11% of the NEL carbon footprint. Metered dose inhalers are 18%. We have the evidence and tools to eliminate much of this impact. Our North East London Responsible Respiratory Prescribing Group is working across our Integrated Care System to make this happen.
Reducing the impact of medicines is as much about training, engagement and patient-centred care as it is about clinical or purchasing decisions. Our carbon reduction efforts will align with providing the best possible care for our patients and residents as a priority.
Around 14% of London traffic relates to people travelling for NHS business or appointments, while physical inactivity costs the NHS up to £1 billion per year, with further indirect costs of £8.2 billion.
We are working closely with each of our boroughs to increase safe active travel, and work collaboratively to provide clear consistent messaging to the public.
Good quality food and nutrition are synonymous with good health, and with low carbon choices.
There is work happening across the partnership to promote sustainable and healthy diets and reduce food waste.
Access to green spaces provide many health benefits, including improved levels of mental health, physical fitness, cognitive and immune function, as well as lower mortality rates. Increased access to green spaces also improves our relationship with nature, making people far more likely to make low carbon (and pro-nature) choices and actions.
Digital transformation is utilising technology to streamline health and care, while reducing its associated cost and carbon. We will ensure that patients can be seen in the right place at the right time. We will use technology to help clinicians to make informed decisions about the carbon cost of their care and we will implement projects to reduce our digital footprint across north east London.
Incorporating and investing in low carbon thinking, assessments, education and opportunities for innovation into the way we design our health and care services will make it far easier to deliver low carbon services further down the line.
Read the full plan on our journey towards a net zero health and care system, including actions and timescales
Each NHS Trust and Local Authority in north east London also has their own Green Plan setting out their commitments to reducing carbon emissions.
All the NHS Green Plans across north east London are listed below:
All of the local authorities in north east London are committed to tackling climate change and you can read their plans here:
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The NEL ICS Green Plan is a national requirement from NHS as per the NHS Net Zero Strategy and delivers on the Long Term Plan. It includes four core carbon reduction targets to reach net zero.
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