A Net Zero NHS
Earlier this month, the National Health Service (NHS) announced their ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2040 in conjunction with the release of their Delivering a Net Zero NHS report.
We explore what this means for the sustainability and wellbeing agenda, and why the timing of this report will have a major impact on how we respond to the climate emergency.
Jump is engaging more people than ever in the public health sector. We’ll also highlight the NHS Trusts that we’re helping to deliver their sustainability strategies along the way.
Why now?
So why now? Why release such a bold strategy for reaching Net Zero by 2040? Why release such a significant step forwards from For a Greener NHS launched in January 2020?
Delivering a Net Zero NHS was released earlier this month as many areas across the UK introduced stricter lockdown measures.
Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, says: “The burden of coronavirus has been exacerbated and amplified by wider, deep-seated social, economic and health concerns.
“The right response is therefore not to duck or defer action on these longer-term challenges even as we continue to respond to immediate pressures
“One of the most significant is the climate emergency, which is also a health emergency.”
His message is poignant. Whilst we grapple with the unprecedented nature of the Coronavirus pandemic, we must prioritise sustainable practices as we recover and look to the future.
Releasing Delivering a Net Zero NHS at a time when the NHS is facing its greatest challenge indicates the need to face the reality of the climate emergency and the seriousness with which we must respond.
Our NHS and the Coronavirus pandemic
We have all witnessed the unrelenting pressure that the Coronavirus pandemic has placed on our NHS.
From supporting our key workers to clapping for our carers, public support for the NHS in the wake of the Coronavirus has highlighted how important it is to us as we face an unprecedented public health emergency.
Despite the pandemic affecting everyone differently, we know that our collective natural environment is tied to our individual health and wellbeing.
What does a Net Zero NHS look like?
With the more than 1.3 million people employed by the NHS responsible for 4% of the nation’s carbon emissions, there is potential for the shift to Net Zero to have a significant positive environmental impact for the whole of the UK.
The report further outlines eight areas to decarbonise: care, supply chains, transport, innovation, hospitals, energy, adaptation and governance.
Beyond this there are specific targets across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
How would you imagine a Net Zero NHS? Could it include the world’s first zero-emission ambulance? What would a Net Zero hospital look like for the people working there? Would you consider how patients and their families interact with a Net Zero NHS?
The report outlines targets for these ideas and beyond including:
- The world’s first zero-emission ambulance by 2022
- The construction of 40 new ‘net zero hospitals’
- A £50 million LED lighting replacement programme. This will reduce energy use by 80% and save over £3 billion during the coming three decades.
- A new service model which would boost ‘out-of-hospital’ appointments. This could avoid 8.5 million kms of unnecessary travel per year with a carbon saving of 1.7 ktCO2e per year.
So, what impact would this have?
Reaching the UK’s Paris Climate Change Agreement targets could see over 5,700 lives saved every year from improved air quality. As well as a further 38,000 lives saved from a more physically active population and 100,000 lives saved from healthier diets.
How is Jump helping NHS Trusts to deliver their Net Zero targets?
We have already seen positive outcomes from NHS Trusts who have put sustainability at the top of their agenda.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) joined Jump in 2019 and have since recorded over 60,000 positive actions for sustainability and wellbeing and avoided over 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has just completed a successful pilot of its Jump programme that launched in September. Their bespoke programme, designed in collaboration with patients of GOSH, named ‘CHEER’, brings together ‘our hospital, our people, our environment’. CHEER empowers users to take action as the hospital pursues multiple sustainability strategies including their Sustainable Development Management Plan, Clean Air Hospital Framework and Vision for 2025.
Most recently, Jump has launched Shine Rewards with The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Shine is available to all 14,500 staff and includes activities such as carbon calculator, air pollution quiz, active travel, plastic pledge and climate emergency strategy.
The Coronavirus pandemic has shown us how intricately linked the climate emergency is with our health and wellbeing and how important sustainability will be for ensuring our future.
How can Jump help you to deliver your sustainability targets?
Jump is the leading supplier for sustainability and wellbeing engagement programmes in the UK. We’re experts in behaviour change and how we can motivate your people to make positive behaviours.
We work across sectors to embed a culture of sustainability and wellbeing. We are skilled in communicating your organisation’s unique targets, whether that is a Net Zero commitment, a sustainability strategy or delivering a programme of wellbeing.
Find out more about the work we do on our Jump website. Or request a case study to see what our Jump programmes might look like for your people.
