HEALTHCARE & SUS TAINABI L I T Y
several reasons as to why they struggle to maintain using sustainable products as part of their daily routine. One of these being a lack of alternative recyclable / or low carbon products available to them.
What will the long-term plan for endoscopy be like? Endoscopy, like all departments in the healthcare sector, should be aiming towards making small steps in the search for a more sustainable practice – increased recycling, improved waste separations, avoidance of single-use items where possible and using sustainable alternative products. The COVID pandemic has clearly shown how quickly we can adapt new practices when faced with a global crisis. Reducing our carbon emissions should be no different.
National bodies should also be involved by evaluating endoscopy units and introducing a new green accreditation. Rewards could be given to all those that meet standards of sustainable practice.6 Creating awareness in healthcare settings regarding correct waste management could
improve recycling capabilities across all NHS departments. In a case study by the NHS Supply Chain, Clinical Waste disposal: Reducing Single-Use plastic within the NHS, several years ago Newcastle Upon Tyne hospitals NHS Foundation Trust did not have a designated process for segregating some units of healthcare waste.
Non-hazardous waste was disposed of in the same bins as hazardous waste. After
Greening the NHS: toward carbon zero
In January 2020, the campaign for a greener NHS was launched to mobilise more than 1.3 million staff and to set an ambitious, evidence-based route map and date for the NHS to reach net zero. The NHS has adopted a multi-year plan to become the world’s first carbon net zero national health system. The commitment comes amid growing evidence of the health impacts of climate change and air pollution, and aims to save thousands of lives and hospitalisations across the country.
Air pollution is linked to killer conditions like heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, and academics have linked high pollution days with hundreds of extra out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and hospital admissions for stroke and asthma. The changing climate is leading to more frequent heatwaves and extreme weather events such as flooding, including the potential spread of infectious diseases to the UK. Almost 900 people were killed by last summer’s heatwaves while nearly 18 million patients go to a GP practice in an area that exceeds the World Health Organization’s air pollution limit. Scientists believe that a third of new asthma cases might be avoided by cutting emissions, while Lyme Disease and encephalitis are among conditions expected to become more common as temperatures rise. NHS chief executive, Sir Simon
MARCH 2021
Stevens, said: “This year has been dominated by COVID-19 and is the most pressing health emergency facing us. But undoubtedly climate change poses the most profound long-term threat to the health of the nation.
“It is not enough for the NHS to treat the problems caused by air pollution and climate change – from asthma to heart attacks and strokes – we need to play our part in tackling them at source. “The NHS has already made significant progress decarbonising our care, but as the largest employer in Britain, responsible for around 4% of the nation’s carbon emissions, if this country is to succeed in its overarching climate goals the NHS has to be a major part of the solution.”
NHS England convened the NHS Net Zero Expert Panel following the launch of the Climate Assembly UK, to take and analyse evidence on how the health service can contribute to nationwide carbon reduction efforts. Led by Dr. Nick Watts, executive director
of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the Panel comprised public health and climate experts as well as patient and staff representatives. Their report, endorsed by the NHS board, sets out how the health service has already cut its own carbon footprint by 62% compared to the international-standard 1990 baseline, and by 26% when indirect factors are included.
Based on the findings of the report the NHS has formally adopted two targets, set as the earliest possible credible dates for the NHS to achieve net zero emissions: l For the NHS Carbon Footprint (emissions under NHS direct control), net zero by 2040, with an ambition for an interim 80% reduction by 2028-2032, and;
l For the NHS Carbon Footprint Plus, (which includes our wider supply chain), net zero by 2045, with an ambition for an interim 80% reduction by 2036-2039.
Dr. Watts and his team will engage widely to support delivery, with interventions including: l New ways of delivering care at or closer to home, meaning fewer patient journeys to hospitals;
l Greening the NHS fleet, including working towards road-testing a zero- emissions emergency ambulance by 2022;
l Reducing waste of consumable products and switching to low-carbon alternatives where possible;
l Making sure new hospitals and buildings are built to be net-zero emissions, and;
l Building energy conservation into staff training and education programmes.
To access the report visit: https://www.
england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/publication/ delivering-a-net-zero-national-health- service/
WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM l 41
a review, the Trust instigated the use of blue lidded bins to allow pharmaceutical waste to be disposed of separately to other waste streams. By focusing on sustainability, they looked at new ways to reduce single-use plastics and introduced board based rigid containers for pharmaceutical waste. The report detailed a 46% reduction in carbon emissions due to using board-based bins that were 96% more renewable than plastic. There was also reference to the lack of awareness surrounding the topic.7 Sourcing sustainable products using bioplastics could also be introduced. While the use of bioplastics is still developing, bioplastics or the branded name, Biocycle, is produced entirely from sugarcane bagasse making it entirely biodegradable and compostable.
Bagasse is the pulp-like residue that remains when sugarcane stalks are crushed in the juice extraction process. The use of sugarcane has surfaced as an alternative renewable option for a variety of uses and brings with it the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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