The Brief
Over the past eight years, WRM has been deeply committed to providing a seconded Sustainability Management service to The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT). From 2016 to 2023, WRM authored three iterations of the Trust’s Green Plan and consistently developed and tracked their carbon footprint, facilitating a carbon reduction of 35%. The absence of an internal Head of Sustainability in 2023 posed a challenge, requiring WRM to step into a full-time role for a third successive time to manage large scale projects, extend support to various sustainability workstreams across the organisation, and facilitate further progress towards achieving net-zero.
The Solution
Throughout 2023-24, WRM supported the Trust on a variety of sustainability workstreams, including:
- Ensuring the effective governance and implementation of the Trust’s Green Plan.
- Providing assurance on sustainability to Estates and Facilities, the Board and NHS England.
- Upskilling and training staff on carbon, sustainability, and net-zero healthcare.
- Delivering project-specific support such as carbon assessments and tender evaluations.
- Engaging with external stakeholders to identify and roll-out best practice and guidance.
One notable project saw WRM work with the Trust’s Environment Team to integrate sustainability into capital schemes. This involved amending the Trust’s capital project process to include requirements for the consideration of qualitative and/or qualitative carbon assessments, in addition to consulting with capital project managers in a dedicated training session to enhance their engagement with the new requirements. All capital projects must now be assessed against the Trust’s sustainability strategies and WRM has since been undertaking carbon assessments and validation exercises from small scale projects such as lighting and lift replacements to larger scale projects like the new Rob Burrows Motor Neurone Disease Centre and Seacroft Hospital building refurbishment.
The Outcome
The collaboration between WRM and LTHT throughout 2023-24 has led to a further 2% reduction in the Trust’s carbon footprint and the full or partial implementation of 171 Green Plan actions. As WRM looks to the future, our team are eager to leverage this experience in sustainability within the NHS to develop long-term partnerships with other trusts and organisations. Through these partnerships, WRM hopes to provide critical assurance that for this hugely valued public service, decarbonisation is possible.
The Legacy
I have been very happy with the service that WRM have provided to the Trust. Over the last few years, they have supported us with the development of our carbon footprint and Green Plan and the implementation of our sustainability workstreams. The consultants involved in the project are highly knowledgeable and extremely professional, and we recently renewed WRM’s support to the Trust this year. I can’t recommend WRM highly enough for any sustainability needs! – Chris Kelly