Addressing climate change
What are our overall aims by 2028?
Net Zero: resource consumption and Greenhouse Gas emission reductions that align with NHS net zero targets and mitigate against climate change, achieving a 4-5% year on year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for travel and transport, building energy, water and waste, anaesthetic gas, inhalers and procurement.
Climate Resilience: climate change adaptation strategies are embedded, strengthening our ability to maintain quality care and provide a basis for us to become a climate change resilient system.
Social Value: actions that influence the collective social wellbeing of patients, staff and surrounding communities are embedded as business as usual across our system.
What’s our starting point?
In Coventry and Warwickshire, great strides have already been made towards a greener, more sustainable NHS. However, this journey is a collective one that will require on-going collaboration across our system.
Throughout 2022/23 we have established appropriate governance arrangements and enacted a range of actions to support our collective ‘green vision’;
- Implementation of the Coventry and Warwickshire ICS Green Plan. The Green Plan incorporates the plans of partner NHS Trusts and sets out a number of ‘areas of focus’ where collaborative action will enable delivery of our overall aims set out above;
- Establishment of a new Greener Delivery Board, membership of which includes Local Authority and NHS partner organisations;
- Creation of a Green Dashboard to measure our emissions targets;
- Implementation of a lease car scheme to encourage use of electric vehicles;
- Development of a clear green communication channel via our ICB website and links to associated local schemes.
What are some of the key links to other parts of the plan?
Health Inequalities – where the risk factors for health issues are environmental, the actions in the Green Plan have the potential to reduce their occurrences across the system. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an example having been linked not only to smoking, but also to poor air quality. The Green Plan will assist us in tackling unequal outcomes, experience and access through effective collaboration with key partners across our ICS, including all Local Authorities who have declared Climate Emergencies, committing their respective geographies to achieve Net Zero.
Estates and Digital, Data and Technology – the Green Plan links closely to our ICS Estates Strategy and our ICS Digital Transformation Strategy. Aligning these strategies will be key in delivering our overall aims above.
Collaboration and Integration – as part of the development of our Green Plan a range of opportunities were identified to work collaboratively with local GP practices via PCNs. Initial engagement is focusing on understanding energy use, what carbon reduction activities have been undertaken to date and use of green social prescribing to connect people with nature based activities.
What will we be focusing on in the next 2 years?
Energy, water and waste – continued effective monitoring of the national Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) to track efficiencies utilising our estates leadership and collaboration via the Coventry and Warwickshire ICS Estates Strategy Group to ensure shared best practice.
Travel – establishing a Travel and Transport Working Group to include stakeholders such as Local Authority and NHS partner organisations, and transport companies. One of the key aims of this Group will be to create a more sustainable transport and travel network for our staff and population. This will include more easily accessible electric vehicle chargers, cycle routes and more accessible and reliable public transport. The Group will also scope the potential introduction of low emission and ultra low emission fleet vehicles across the system.
Medicines – continuing to focus on inhaler and nitrous oxide reductions aligned to our carbon footprint reduction targets, with effective monitoring via a dedicated Medicines Working Group to include stakeholders such as PCNs, Community Pharmacists and NHS partner Trusts.
Procurement – continued enhancement and understanding of procurement emissions (emissions generated by suppliers of contracts for goods, services, and/or works) through a dedicated Procurement Working Groups with a focus on shared best practice and learning, and approaches to embed sustainability in contracts.
Recycling Schemes – enhancement and sharing of best practice relating to recycling schemes at Place level to support our greener objectives
Green Campaigns – effective campaigns across our ICS through collaboration across Local Authority and NHS partner organisations, with an initial focus on scoping the development of an inhaler recycling scheme.
Green Dashboard – continued development of our systemwide Green Dashboard incorporating emissions targets set by NHS England, alongside local system targets.
Communication and Engagement Campaigns – continued effective communication and engagement campaigns.
Senior Leadership Pledges – securing pledges from senior leaders across our system to support our green agenda.
Key Challenges
Funding streams – most green initiatives require investment. Ensuring that we bid for national green funding is essential to enhancing our strategy.
Data capture and effective monitoring to ensure that we are fully sighted on all green delivery aspects, which is currently varied depending on data feeds.
Key Metrics and Deliverables
By 2024/25, reduce anaesthetic generated emissions by 266 tCO2e.
By 2024/25, reduce emissions from nitrous oxide by over 750 tCO2e.
By April 2024, all suppliers publicly report emissions and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan aligned to the NHS net zero target for Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions.