There has been increasing evidence that we need to act urgently to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, including the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which warned we have only 12 years left to act. The UK Government, including the NHS have increased carbon emission targets to net-zero by 2050. The NHS is the largest contributor to climate change in the public sector and produces over 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions, more than the global average for healthcare of 4.4%.
One of the largest sources of emissions at the NHS is transport. The NHS accounts for around 3.5% of all road travel with emissions arising from ambulance journeys, patient transport and staff transport. as outlined in their long-term plan, the NHS is committed to cutting air quality by cutting mileage by 20% by 2023/2024, they also intend to have 90% of the NHS fleet made up of low-emissions engines by 2028. Some NHS trusts such as Oxford are already implementing transport reduction schemes such as cycle to work and car share schemes and free shuttle bus services for staff between hospitals. Other sources of emissions, unique to the health and social care sector, include gases used for medical treatments such as gases from anaesthetics and inhalers. The NHS also generates a significant amount of waste, over 1% of the UK’s annual waste, only around a quarter of which is thought to be recycled.
With air pollution and climate change now considered the largest threat to global health, there is a clear motive for the NHS to reduce their emissions. Public Health England estimate that there are between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths a year attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. Reducing NHS emissions can help in the effort to improve air pollution and climate change and will ultimately result in fewer patients. The health and social care costs of air pollution in England is predicted to reach £5.3 billion by 2035 unless urgent action is taken.
Reducing emissions not only improves the efficiency and quality of care in the NHS but improves air pollution will ultimately result in fewer patient admissions. Since the NHS first published a carbon reduction strategy in 2007, one of the first national health services to do so, emissions from the UK health and social sector have been cut by 18.5%.; this was despite an increase in activity by 27%. However, there is still a long way to go for the NHS to reach its long-term targets. In line with the carbon change act the NHS has set a target to reduce its emissions by 100%, net zero, by 2050.
WRM Sustainability have established a strong track record of developing Sustainable Development Management Plans (SDMP) for NHS trusts and a variety of NHS organisations.
