Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust – Green Travel Plan

In 2022/23, following our delivery of the trust’s first Green Plan, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust (CCCFT) commissioned WRM to coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Plan. One of its main objectives was to develop a Green Travel Plan. Climate change and air pollution, driven by carbon emissions, pose significant dangers to public health, including an increased risk of cancer. Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic ironically contributed to the reduction of unnecessary travel through an increased use of digital technologies for work at the trust, it is estimated that CCCFT’s travel activities produce approximately 4,261 tCO2e every year. This is equivalent to 5% of the trust’s carbon footprint.

A Green Travel Plan, which aims to accelerate the transition away from cars by facilitating and encouraging sustainable and active travel behaviours and choices amongst staff, patients and visitors, was seen as an opportunity to deliver environmental, health, and financial benefits for trust and its stakeholders. Of particular focus for the Plan was the realisation of sustainable travel opportunities for staff, since the nature of the trust’s patient population and their treatment needs means public transport and active travel options may not be realistic for many patients. Therefore, as the group with the greatest potential for green change, staff at the trust were to be the primary audience of focus for the Green Travel Plan.

WRM produced a detailed report for CCCFT on green travel, which laid the foundations for the Trust to produce its first ever Travel Plan. The report served as a key contributing resource for the Travel Plan and was structured in three distinct sections. The first section provided information on the trust’s three respective hospital sites – Liverpool, Wirral, and Aintree – and their respective locations, accessibilities by different transport modes, and local contextual factors influencing possibilities for sustainable travel. The second section established the ‘case for change’ on shifting towards greener travel modes. Key travel strategies of local stakeholders such as authorities were analysed to gauge travel risks and opportunities. Moreover, a travel survey was conducted to understand staff travel behaviours, barriers to travelling sustainably, and their attitudes towards potential measures.

Following coverage on initiatives which were already in place to encourage and support staff to make greener commuting choices, a package of measures was then set out to support them in the adoption of sustainable transport modes. To support active travel, the trust set out to establish an active travel support group, running guided cycles and travel campaigns, improving its facilities, and signposting to relevant schemes on its digital platforms. To facilitate public transport, the trust committed to interventions including offering discounted bus travel tickets, incentivising staff, and working with partners to improve local public transport systems. To reduce car use, the trust set a target to improving flexible and digital working capacities, increasing access to EVs in its car lease scheme, and promoting discussion and car sharing between staff. To ensure the measures listed within the foundations of the Plan were realistic and achievable, all measures were categorised into short, medium, and long-term timescales.

Building on the report that WRM developed, CCFT’s first ever Green Travel Plan was published on World Car Free Day, 22^nd September 2023, and was made available on the trust’s intranet for staff to understand the options available to them to commute to work. The trust then hosted a live event to promote the Plan and answer any questions that colleagues had. Several sustainable travel achievements have since been made by the trust, including:

• 5 well-attended cycle sessions hosted for staff to guide them safely between Bebington train station and Clatterbridge Wirral.
• On Clean Air Day (20th June 2024), the trust teamed up with other local NHS trusts and Merseyrail to offer free rail tickets to colleagues to encourage staff to make a greener commute.
• Collaborated with 5 other NHS trusts in the local region to offer a formal car sharing platform from mid-2025 for staff to reduce traffic congestion and car parking pressures across sites and the carbon footprint of staff commuting.
• Upgraded staff change facilities at Clatterbridge Wirral, including the installation of 2 new on-site showers, to tackle barriers preventing colleagues from making a greener commute.
• Improved travel and transport arrangements for business services, such as introducing a formal hub delivery service in 2023 to deliver medications to patients using vans which run twice a day rather than taxis, leading to reductions in carbon emissions, air pollution, and costs.
• 78% increase in the number of patients being treated by Clatterbridge in the Community service.
• 6 new telehealth booths available for remote consultations.
• An increase in staff travel survey responses from 226 in 2022 to 447 in 2023.

Work continues at CCCFT to implement the objectives of its Green Travel Plan, including:

• The electrification of the trust’s fleet and installation of EV charging stations.
• Exploring funding opportunities to upgrade bicycle parking.
• Offering sustainable transport options as part of its salary sacrifice scheme.
• Supporting its shuttle bus provider to develop a carbon reduction plan for the service and provision with a zero-emission vehicle.
• Re-run its staff travel survey to provide continued insight into the commuting behaviours, attitudes, and barriers upon staff in travelling more sustainably.

All NHS trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to produce a Sustainable Travel Strategy, embedded within the organisations’ Green Plans, by 2026. Guidance on what should be included within these strategies is expected in February, however, early engagement with a broad range of stakeholders including staff, patients, communities, visitors, and suppliers is recommended to ensure any potential issues are highlighted and considered in the development of a travel plan. If you are seeking to get started in developing and/or implementing a suitable Sustainable Travel Strategy with an experienced travel plan provider and coordinator, please reach out to us using the contact form below.