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NHS must act to tackle climate change says new nef research
A new report from nef for the NHS confederation says that the NHS, as one of the world’s biggest and most resource-hungry public sector institutions, must brace itself for the health impacts of global warming and act urgently to reduce its significant carbon emissions.
Taking the temperature: towards an NHS response to global warming says that the NHS faces a dual challenge. As well as taking action to reduce its own carbon emissions, as the lead agency responsible for public health, it needs to invest in preventive healthcare to strengthen the resilience of the population, as well as in treatment for the victims of a warmer, more variable climate.
Taking the temperature shows that the NHS is a long way from reducing its energy consumption to meet the government’s target of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010 and 60 per cent by 2050. As the report reveals, the sheer scale of the NHS, with 1 million patient contacts every 36 hours, means the organisation has a considerable carbon footprint, but also the potential to promote positive change:
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energy use in NHS healthcare facilities costs £400 million annually and results in a net emission of around 1 million tonnes of carbon
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5 per cent of all the UK’s emissions from road transport are attributable to NHS-related journeys. Staff, patients and visitors travelled almost 25 billion passenger kilometres for NHS-related purposes in 2001, of which 83 per cent were by car or van
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one in every 100 tonnes of domestic waste generated in the UK comes from the NHS, with the vast majority going to landfill.
But, the sheer scale of NHS operations also creates huge opportunities to make a positive impact, says the report
Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents over 90 per cent of NHS organisations, says:
“As one of the biggest employers in the UK and the biggest public service, the NHS has a responsibility to tackle climate change and reduce its carbon foot-print. The report demonstrates that the NHS is starting to rise to the challenge of reducing its carbon footprint - there are some great innovators out there, but there is a long way to go to meet the government’s target of reducing energy admissions. By addressing some key aspects such as energy use, transport and waste the NHS can not only have a considerable impact on reducing its carbon footprint but also its costs.“
The report shows that very simple changes by the NHS could have a massive impact:
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if healthcare trusts meet their target to cut primary energy consumption by 15 per cent between 2000 and 2010, the NHS will save £50 million per year on its current energy bills – equivalent to one small community hospital or 7,000 heart bypass operations
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if the 166 acute hospital trusts in England eliminated the estimated 90 kilotonnes of CO2 emitted each year when idle computers and screens are left on unnecessarily, the carbon emissions saved would be equivalent to those generated by flying over 26,000 people from London to New York and back
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better building design could not only cut energy costs by a quarter but could also increase the productivity of the NHS’s 1.3 million-strong workforce by between 6 and 16 per cent
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if domestic and clinical waste were correctly segregated and just 40 per cent recycled, additional emissions savings would be similar to those produced by driving an average-sized car around the equator more than 550 times.
Taking the temperature concludes that despite a plethora of headline targets for reducing emissions and energy use, there is a need for detailed strategies to address climate change in an integrated way across the NHS – with ambition to match the scale of the issue.
“The NHS will be working on the front-line as climate change hits the UK. The lethal heatwave that hit Paris not long ago shows the kind of thing that we can expect to become more common. But, as our climate-health check of the health service shows, an NHS braced for a warming world can play a vital double role. First, it can help the nation to cope and adapt, and its contact with over 1 million patients every 36 hours creates huge potential for promoting positive action. Second, it can lead the way by showing how large organisations can cut, radically, their greenhouse gas emissions. But, as Taking the temperature shows, global warming is happening, time is running out and – like the rest of us - the NHS has to act now, before the climate becomes critical.” says nef policy director, and co-author of the report, Andrew Simms
The report says that NHS organisations must take a longer-term view and recognise the potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies to deliver multiple health, environmental, social and economic benefits. Procuring hospital food from local producers, for example, not only reduces the carbon emissions associated with air and road freight but also contributes to community well-being and cohesion by boosting the local economy.
The report finds that there are plenty of examples of good practice across the UK. For example:
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Energy-saving projects such as the installation of a boiler economiser at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 485 photovoltaic panels at Bronllys Hospital in Powys and a combined heat and power plant at Hartlepool Hospital. As well as cutting carbon emissions, these three schemes alone have delivered total savings of £126,400 per year.
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A two-thirds cut in carbon emissions from road freight and a boost to patient recovery, the local economy and the environment through the sourcing of more fresh, local and organic food by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust.
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Creation of a corporate citizenship committee by Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust, bringing together all the key players in local procurement, transport, facilities management, employment and other areas. The benefits of partnership have included an energy-efficient A&E department, a pilot park-and-ride scheme for staff and patients and 30 per cent local procurement of food.
Taking the temperature concludes with ten key questions where health service managers can take action to put the NHS response to climate change on track ranging from evidence of leadership to the way in which they procure goods and services.
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