HCT takes action for a greener, more sustainable future
HCT's Green Plan and Net Zero Roadmap
HCT is currently developing a Green Plan which will set the blueprint for how we reduce our impact on the environment and deliver sustainable healthcare. We will work with staff, patients, local communities, and partners to put our organisation on a path to a cleaner, greener, healthier, and more equitable future.
We are also working on a Net Zero Roadmap to reach our goal of being a carbon-neutral organisation. The NHS has embarked on a process to identify the most credible, ambitious date that the health service could reach net zero emissions, leading to publication of the Delivering a net zero National Health Service report.
Why do NHS Trusts need a Green Plan?
The UK is already undergoing disruptive climate change with increased rainfall, sunshine and temperatures, according to scientists. The year 2020 was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest on record, scientists said in the latest UK State of the Climate report – published July 2021.
Climate change poses a major threat to our health as well as our planet. The environment is changing, that change is accelerating, and this has direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the public and the NHS.
Almost 900 people were killed by last summer’s heatwaves while nearly 18 million patients go to a GP practice in an area that exceeds the World Health Organisation’s air pollution limit.
Scientists believe perhaps a third of new asthma cases might be avoided by cutting emissions, while Lyme Disease and encephalitis are among conditions expected to become more common as temperatures rise.
Why are we developing a Green Plan now?
Climate change is an urgent issue that means we must act now. The 2021/22 NHS Standard Contract sets out the requirement for trusts to develop a Green Plan and this expectation has been expanded to ask each ICS to develop its own Green Plan by 31 March 2022, based on the strategies of its member organisations. Green Plans replaced the previous Sustainable Development Management Plans (SDMP) in 2020.
Who will input into HCT's Green Plan?
It is crucial for the Green Plan to both capture expert input and be owned by all in HCT, so we are establishing a Core Development Group to ensure the senior/expert input into the plan development and alignment with our other strategies. This will include representatives from across HCT teams including Strategy, Operations, Estates & Facilities, Procurement, Finance, People, and Medical Devices.
We will also establish a network of Green Champions to capture broader input and energy of Green enthusiasts within HCT and so they own delivery of the Green agenda in their teams.
We’d also like to engage other ICS and system partner ‘green leads’ to share ideas/approach. We will engage the wider public and service users in our Green Plan – both in development and implementation.
We look forward to working with you on a greener, more sustainable future.
