We have refreshed our Green Plan

Our commitment to delivering care that supports the health of people and environment is stronger than ever; how this will look going forward is set out in our refreshed Green Plan.

We have demonstrated real commitment to achieving our Net Zero target since our first Green Plan back in 2022. Not only it is the right thing to do as a healthcare provider, but it also supports innovations in care that benefit our patients, improves health outcomes, and importantly reduces costs.

Our refreshed Green Plan can be found here. 

You can review our progress to date in our latest Trust Annual Report.

“Given the global health imperatives, the NHS must stick to its Net Zero ambitions. There is no trade-off between climate responsibilities and reducing waiting lists.” Darzi Report 2024

The new NHS 10-year Plan plays an important part in our approach to our Green Plan refresh, with a shift to more digitally enabled care and a focus on prevention and community -based care. These are pillars that support all our efforts to become more sustainable.

Core aims of this Green Plan

1. Reduce our emissions to Net Zero Carbon by 2040/45

2. Adapt our services and buildings to the impacts of climate change

3. Address the environmental targets within the Environment Act 2021

Every NHS Trust is committed through the Greener NHS to achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2040 for direct emissions and by 2045 for indirect emissions.

Our refreshed Green Plan sets out our approach over the coming five years, with sustainability an integral part of how we plan, deliver and improve care. It reflects the wider benefits of sustainability - financial savings, healthier staff and patients, and more resilient services - ensuring our actions deliver impact across the triple bottom line.

In October 2020, the NHS committed to deliver the world’s first Net Zero Carbon health service, responding to climate change and improving health now and for future generations.

As a Trust, our Vision is “we will pursue perfection in the delivery of safe, high quality healthcare that puts the people in our community first”. We know that in order to truly achieve this, putting the people in our community first over the short, medium and long term, we must act now.

At Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust, we are continuing our journey to becoming a more sustainable healthcare provider. There is still much to do and this Green Plan aims to shift our programme into a new gear, showing leadership and responding to the ever more pressing issue of climate change and health.

As such, through our new Green Plan, we commit to meeting our part of the ambitious Net Zero Carbon targets set by NHS England Improvement (NHSEI). We have developed this Green Plan based on our Care Without Carbon framework for sustainable healthcare.

Our green plan

Our achievements

 

Paper reduction saving over 38,000kg in CO2 emissions and £10,000 a year
Switchover to LED lights saves hospital almost £35,000 and 41 tonnes of CO2
Award-winning virtual clinic prevents almost 13,000 hospital visits and saves over 110,000kg in CO2 emissions
SASH phases out anaesthetic gas desflurane, the most polluting anaesthetic