Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has published its Net Zero Roadmap, in line with the NHS national net zero declaration.
As world leaders met last week to discuss climate change goals at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the Trust set out its objectives to achieve carbon net zero by 2040.
Data from 2019 showed that the Trust generates almost 41,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – about half of which is energy usage, use of medical devices, medical gases and travel.
The Trust is aiming to reduce this by 80% by 2032 and achieve net zero by 2040.
This will be delivered through a combination of direct interventions to reduce emissions and off-setting.
Climate change is recognised by scientists to impact the nation’s health. Without urgent and definitive action experts say there will be more heatwaves and heavier precipitation events which cause increases in associated conditions and diseases.
Here are some examples of what Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is doing currently, or in the near future:
- Installed its first no fossil fuel heat pump to heat the education centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
- All old light fittings will shortly be moved to LED
- Designated a project team to work through the elimination of single use plastics
- In 2022, the Trust will be installing its own anaerobic digester and onsite clinical waste treatment plant at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which will reduce general and recyclable waste by 80%, clinical waste by 80%, and reduce clinical waste bin collections down from 19 to 3 times per week.
Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive at the Trust, said: “The effects of climate change are of course even more important for us in what we do given its impact on both population and individual health. The move to carbon zero is likely to have quite an impact on the operations of the Trust over the next few years.
“It’s an ambitious plan but, as an organisation, we are committed to achieving zero carbon by 2040. Some of the interventions needed are directly in our control, such as zero emission vehicles, more efficient and greener energy usage, and some will be delivered through national schemes. Ultimately, everyone – our teams, colleagues, partners, suppliers and patients – will need to pull together to make this happen.”
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