Green Plan 2025 - 2028
Green Plan 2025 - 2028
Our Green Plan sets the strategic direction for the next 3 years to meet our sustainability vision and net zero targets for the Trust.
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an anchor in our community; we are acutely aware of our responsibility to providing sustainable and resilient healthcare to every person we serve and make a positive impact to the local community. We aim to broaden our view of sustainability to consider the wider social and economic impacts of our work, to reduce health inequalities, our environmental impact and deliver high quality care within the funding available to us.
We want to take this Green Plan a step further to than before and include actions which will help us to adapt to a changing climate.
Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service
Setting the direction
The evidence for climate change is clear – our atmosphere is changing, globally temperatures are increasing, flooding becoming more frequent, and our fine-tuned natural processes are becoming disrupted. Our environment is unable to cope with the level of extraction and destruction being placed upon it and it has resulted in a severe loss of biodiversity and natural habitat, and a drowning in plastic waste.
In England, the Met Office reported that four of the five warmest summers on record have occurred since 2003 whilst worldwide, the 10 warmest years in historical record have all occurred in the past decade (2014-2023). Figure X shows the global average surface temperature since 1880.
With climate change comes increased health risks and pressures. The World Health Organisation expects climate change to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year through heat stress, undernutrition, malaria and diarrhoea alone. Research also suggests that up to one-third of new asthma cases might be avoided as a result of efforts to cut emissions.
The NHS, contributing 4% of England’s total carbon footprint, acknowledges the severity of the situation and in 2020, announced it’s aspirations to be the world’s first ‘net zero’ healthcare service setting out clear targets:
- for the emissions we control directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint) referred to as Scope 1 and Scope 2, net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032
- for the emissions we can influence (our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus) referred to as Scope 3, net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039.
This was further bolstered within the Health and Care Act 2022 which places duties on the NHS, enshrined in law, to have regard to and contribute towards compliance of UK net zero targets, the environmental targets within the Environment Act and climate adaptation.
Developing a carbon framework and path to net zero
A framework for calculating the NHS’s carbon footprint has been developed which splits greenhouse gas emissions into emissions the NHS controls directly (NHS Carbon Footprint) and emissions the NHS has the ability to influence (NHS Carbon Footprint Plus) – see Figure X. This framework has enabled the development of an NHS wide carbon footprint (Figure 2) which shows sources of carbon emissions by proportion of NHS Carbon Footprint Plus.
Our Trust’s green vision
Our Green Plan sets out our strategic direction for achieving our net zero and wider sustainability targets for the next three years and includes keys actions we commit ourselves to achieving.
Our Trust has aligned with NHS England’s net zero targets and aims to be:
- Net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032, for the emissions we control directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint)
- Net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039, for the emissions we can influence (our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus)
We also aim to provide safe, effective and high-quality care and experience for everyone and will continue to act as an anchor institution in our community working on all aspects of sustainability.
Our Carbon Footprint
Since 2019/20 the Trust has calculated it’s carbon footprint (excluding carbon footprint plus) against net zero targets. Our latest carbon footprint (excluding NHS Carbon Footprint Plus) for 2024-25 is approximately 20625 tCO2e.
Our three-year plan
Our Green Plan will focus on 10 key areas over the next three years building on fantastic work delivered through the previous strategy. Direct targets are targets the Green Plan will drive forward, indirect targets will be delivered by other aligned strategies within the organisation.
Theme |
Direct Targets |
Indirect Target |
| Delivered by Green Plan | Delivered by other Trust Strategies | |
| Workforce & Leadership |
Creation of a yearly action plan (from Green Plan) to be delivered by working groups | We aim to consider sustainability and the wider environment in all decisions made the by the Trust |
| All board members to complete climate change and sustainability training | ||
| Development of a robust training package for staff with an aim of 5% of all staff trained in sustainability | ||
| Establish a clinical lead for sustainability within the trust | ||
| Net Zero Clinical Transformation |
Continue to promote and deliver Sustainability QI projects via the trust wide QI programme | Further develop and embed virtual clinics and wards |
| Embed greener practices across Trust through available resources such as, the Greener Theatres Checklist, Greener Endoscopy & Intensive Care Sustainability Recipe Book | Closer working with primary and community services at neighbourhood level | |
| Strengthen connections and continue to make use of networks such as, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and Health Innovation Network | Reduce lengths of stays through productivity and efficiency initiatives | |
| Digital Transformation |
Deliver campaign to reduce printing and paper use within the Trust |
Procure a new Electronic Patient Record System |
| All new equipment purchased to be low power drain | ||
| Installation of new Wi-Fi network and amalgamation of internet services to reduce energy demand and improve efficiency | ||
| A review and enhancement of the Trust’s Digital Strategy to include sustainability and move to smart digital systems within new and existing estate | ||
| Medicines |
Work towards switching off Nitrous Oxide manifolds in Theatres moving to a trolley and regulator system | Continue to raise awareness and strengthen support of the IV to oral campaign across the Trust |
| Continue to educate and promote Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (TIVA) and low flow within anaesthetic departments | ||
| Continue to raise awareness and promote use of low carbon inhalers and optimise inhaler choices, where safe to do so | ||
| Establish yearly ‘Let’s talk about technique’ day and work with patients to improve inhaler technique | ||
| Travel and transport |
Development of a trust-wide Sustainable Travel strategy by 2026 |
All vehicles offered through NHS vehicle salary sacrifice schemes will be electric by 2026 |
| Implementation of sustainable travel initiatives which benefit staff, patients and visitors | ||
| Installation of electric vehicle charging across sites for business vehicles | From 2027, all new vehicles owned and leased by the trust to be net zero emission vehicles |
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| Support supply chain where appropriate moving to low carbon fleet | ||
|
Estates & Facilities – Sustainable construction |
All new construction and refurbishment works completed to net zero building standards | |
|
Estates & Facilities – Energy and water |
Completion of building and energy audits and heat decarbonisation plans, including feasibility studies for relevant renewables and low carbon technologies, across all sites |
Completion of LED upgrade and ventilation PIR sensor projects at Peterborough City Hospital |
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Optimise energy and water use through improved metering, electrical upgrades, updated building management systems and awareness campaigns |
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Recruit or develop existing staff to widen sustainable energy management skills |
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| Development of lifecycle plans for fabric and plant which embeds sustainability for Peterborough City Hospital and Stamford & Rutland Hospital | ||
| The Trust is supporting the development of EV charging infrastructure for East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), recognising its critical role in enabling fleet electrification across the region | ||
| The Trust is committed to aligning with the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy, which sets targets for reducing offensive waste, clinical waste, and landfill dependency. Progress is being tracked via ERIC returns and the NHS BI tool, with 2023–24 data informing our next steps. NHS Clinical Waste Strategy | ||
|
Estates & Facilities – Circular Economy and waste |
Recruit dedicated waste manager |
|
| Increased recycling rates in-line with HTM07-01 and clinical waste strategy targets | ||
| Raise awareness of inhaler recycling options for our patients | ||
| Explore options to increase a circular economy within the trust such as, reusable linen, reusable products (i.e. tourniquets), remanufacturing of equipment & repair of furniture | ||
| Improve efficiency of waste contracts and eliminate unnecessary waste, improve segregation and reduce plastic use through projects, policy, training & awareness campaigns | ||
| Promote use of SwapShop and other platforms which allow the sharing of equipment and furniture | ||
| The Trust is collaborating regionally on linen reuse initiatives to reduce waste and improve circularity. Despite the model in place, a significant proportion of linen is not returned for laundering. We aim to improve this through awareness, logistics, and contract management | ||
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Biodiversity
|
Develop a trust-wide biodiversity strategy | |
| Explore opportunities to increase biodiversity across the estate | ||
|
Adaptation
|
Continue to work towards actions within the dedicated trust-wide climate adaptation strategy | |
| In line with the newly released NHS England Climate Adaptation Framework, the Trust will review and align its existing climate adaptation strategy with national guidance. This includes conducting a formal Estates Risk Assessment using the NHS-endorsed tools, while remaining open to alternative validated methodologies. Resources and guidance are available via NHS England Climate Adaptation Resources | ||
|
Supply Chain and Procurement
|
Adopt the NHS Evergreen Supplier Framework | |
| Seek to source sustainable alternatives and reduce plastic packaging and single use items where possible | ||
| Continue to work towards the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap targets | ||
| Engage with suppliers to raise awareness of net zero targets and requirements including completion of carbon reduction plans | ||
| Use KPIs and contract management to drive sustainability in supply chain | ||
|
Food and nutrition
|
Reduce food waste in-line with HTM 07-01 and dispose of either by composting or anaerobic digestion | Introduce electronic meal ordering at Hinchingbrooke hospital |
| Continue to promote low carbon meals with staff, patients and visitors | Work with suppliers to improve innovation sustainability and social value of food supplier |
The Trust has reviewed the NHS Green Plan Checklist and regional quarterly return snapshot to identify areas for improvement. These tools have informed the prioritisation of actions in this Green Plan and will continue to guide our sustainability journey.
Our achievements from the previous three year green plan (2022-2024)
Our governance and reporting
Over the last three years the Trust has worked hard to embed sustainability into our governance, decisions making and reporting. We are proud to share our following achievements:
- Inclusion of sustainability Strategic Goal for the Trust
- Appointment of our Chief Finance Officer as Executive lead for Sustainability
- Recruitment of a Sustainability Manager
- Establishment of a Sustainability Committee with board representation and presence of Green Champions
- Sustainability agenda item on key committees within the Trust
- Development of a Sustainability Policy, Green Travel Framework and Climate Change Adaptation Plan
- Development of an annual report on sustainability
- Infrastructure and Projects Authority trial of decarbonisation toolkit with our PFI partners
- Creation of heat decarbonisation plan for Peterborough City Hospital
- Sustainability pledges from our Sustainability Committee members
- Sustainability section included in staff inductions
Each key ambition in the Green Plan will be supported by a detailed action plan with target dates and named accountable leads. This will enhance transparency and drive delivery.
The Sustainability Committee will oversee progress, with quarterly updates from working groups and annual reporting aligned with Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures
Constructing sustainable ‘new-builds’
To meet the demands of a growing population, provide a safe working environment and to maintain state of the art care there is sometimes the need to develop our sites and build new assets. Over the last 3 years the Trust has constructed a new Theatres block at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, a Day Treatment Centre at Stamford & Rutland Hospital and an additional ward connected to the main hospital building in Peterborough.
The new theatre block at Hinchingbrooke Hospital was built to Net Zero Building Standards and runs off 100% electricity. Heating is provided by state of the art air source heat pumps which is supplemented by a 78kWh solar array.
We are currently constructing a new day treatment centre at Stamford & Rutland Hospital. This will be constructed with a 11kWh solar array, air source heat pumps and will be powered by 100% electricity.
Improving energy efficiency
At Peterborough City Hospital, the Trust successfully secured £3.75m funding from the NHS National Energy Efficiency Fund which has enabled us to upgrade 15765 fluorescent lights to energy efficiency LED and introduce smart daylight sensors. This reduces our energy usage by approximately 6.6m kWh, a 75% reduction from the original arrangement, and saves 1406 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This a significant step to meeting our ambitious net zero and financial targets.
Our PFI partners Progress Health and Multiplex are key stakeholders to support this project.
Our retained estates continue their LED upgrade works – 75% complete at SRH and 85% at HH
The Trust continues to work towards improving energy efficiency and has completed two energy audits across the estate to assist with this work.
Green spaces and Biodiversity improvements
In 2023, our partners Multiplex, Vercity and Progress Health teamed up to create a beautiful woodland space for our staff. The garden hosts various types of bird's nests, bug hotels, bat boxes and hedgehog houses to encourage the local environment. 3000 bulbs have been planted, and the site was created using as many natural environments sourced from the land.
Tree planting eventsOur Ophthalmology department took the ‘Eye Sustain’ pledge in October 2024 to promote sustainability of quality eye surgery through education and collaboration. As well as other actions, the team organised a tree planting day at Peterborough City Hospital in early 2025 creating their very own ‘Eye Patch’.
Following an application to Independent UK Charity, NHS Forests, the Estates Team at Hinchingbrooke Hospital took delivery of the trees - a mix of 150 hawthorn, hazel, rowan, silver birch and wild cherry trees on Thursday 14 March 2024. This mix was specifically chosen to beautify the site and provide extra food and habitat for wildlife. They were kindly planted by local contractors from Construct and Brookfields who were already working on other projects on the hospital site.
To help us further understand what biodiversity improvements we could make in the future we utilised funding from NHS Forests to complete biodiversity audits across our estate. We aim to use these audits to develop a biodiversity strategy for the Trust.
Active and Sustainable Travel
Electric Vehicle Charging for Fleet
The Trust has installed four electric vehicle chargers for our growing electric fleet. Our small fleet of eight cars includes two electric vehicles and one hybrid. We share our electric vehicle chargers with our service providers to assist with their decarbonisation and transition to an electric fleet.
The Trust is supporting the development of EV charging infrastructure for East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), recognising its critical role in enabling fleet electrification across the region.
Sustainable Travel Induction Pack
We published a Sustainable Travel Induction Pack which provides staff with lots of useful information on how to travel to work sustainably. This pack is provided at inductions and available on our intranet.
Free bus service for all staff
Our Trust is trailblazing the way in sustainable travel. In early 2023, we made the decision to provide free bus travel for all staff, service providers and volunteers via Stagecoach services. The offer has been running for two years with over 2000 members of staff signed up. We are extremely proud to support this great sustainability initiative.
Improving cycling infrastructure
We continue to promote cycling to work by investing in secure bike storage at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital. An additional 48 secure cycle spaces have been installed at Peterborough and 10 lockable cycle spaces at Hinchingbrooke.
Recirculate free bike donations
Recirculate, a fantastic charity established by our PFI Provider, Progress Health, continue to organise bike give aways for our staff. On 3rd October 2024, at total of 19 bikes were giving, completely free, to our wonderful staff. The bikes were donated by West London Waste Authority and renovated by prisoners at HMP Peterborough. This offers prisoners the chance to gain City & Guilds qualifications which can increase their employability on release from prison.
The Trust acknowledges the upcoming 2027 NHS procurement requirement for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) and Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV). While not yet exclusively purchasing ULEV/ZEV, we are developing a policy and procurement roadmap to ensure full compliance by the deadline.
Waste reduction & Circular Economy
Over the last three years we have improved our waste management and reduced our infectious clinical waste through the implementation an offensive waste stream and the adoption of the Bag-to-Bedside process.
We have improved our circular economy through the use of an internal SwapShop available on our Intranet page. This allows staff to advertise items they no longer require or request items needed which has a dual benefit of reducing both purchasing and waste production.
Where possible, we have removed or reduced use of single use items. Our Phlebotomy team continue to run a successful reusable tourniquet trial which will be rolled wider within the Trust. We continue to promote the ‘Gloves Off’ campaign and other campaigns aimed at reducing the use of single use items.
Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain
Our Trust are committed to delivering the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. We include a 10% net zero and social value weighting for all new procurements and request carbon reduction plans for all new contracts, where appropriate.
Greener Theatres
In 2024, our Trust was awarded £10,000 to support the implementation of the Green Theatres Checklist. This funding has been used to train staff and purchase the equipment required to introduce a recycling waste stream, increase uptake of TIVA and low flow anaesthesia, and enable the future switch off of the nitrous oxide manifold. This is following on from the great work previously done in Theatres to rationalise surgical trays, to reduce energy use and move to reusables where possible. One of our Orthopaedic consultants, and passionate Green Champion, introduced the ‘Ask Before Opening’ policy to reduce waste of unused single use items.
Our anaesthetic department continue to switch to reusable cool sticks instead of ethyl chloride spray for sensory assessment after spinal/epidural anaesthesia. This has saved £21,743.50, reduced waste and saved approximately 12.4tCO2e.
Medicines
We’ve phased out the use of desflurane, a volatile anaesthetic agent with higher global warming potential than alternative, readily available general anaesthetic agents. In 2019, desflurane accounted for 40% of all volatile gases used within the Trust and by May 2023 this reduced to 0% saving approximately 70tCO2e every year.
We continue to optimise our prescribing of medication. For example, our Ophthalmologist team has phased out antibiotic eye drops for patients to take home after cataract surgery which has saved the Trust £14,500 and an estimated 8.3tCO2e. The treatment provided during cataract surgery is so advanced there is no longer a requirement to for home use antibiotic eye drops.
Sustainable Food & Nutrition
Increasing the amount of plants in our diet not only better for our health but also better for our environment. Acknowledging this, we now provide a delicious array of vegan and vegetarian options across all our sites.
To help deliver high quality catering services we have partnered with Compass and Mitie. Both companies are both committed to net zero and have publicly published their transition plans. We are pleased to see both providers are transitioning to an electric fleet, offering digital solutions through electronic meal ordering, reducing plastic waste and providing sustainable menu choices for staff, patients and visitors.
Climate adaption
As part of our commitment to climate resilience, the Trust will undertake a comprehensive Estates Adaptation Risk Assessment in Year 1 of this Green Plan (2025–2026). This assessment will align with the newly released NHS England Climate Adaptation Framework, which provides structured guidance and tools to support NHS organisations in identifying and mitigating climate-related risks.
The assessment will help us understand vulnerabilities across our estate and operations, and inform future adaptation measures. While the framework recommends specific tools, we will remain flexible in our approach and consider alternative validated methodologies where appropriate.
This work will feed into our broader climate adaptation strategy and support the Trust’s ambition to deliver safe, sustainable, and resilient healthcare services in the face of a changing climate.
Governance and reporting
Providing a sustainable and net zero healthcare service is a core goal for the Trust which has led to the integration of sustainability within the Trust’s governance frameworks.
The Chief Finance Officer is our Executive Lead on Sustainability and chairs the Sustainability Committee. Our Sustainability Committee is unique in that is it the first committee within the Trust which is open to a wider audience other than the committee members – we are proud to invite all our Green Champions and actively encourage them to partake in discussions. As well as having it’s own committee, sustainability is also included as a regular update on many other committee in the Trust.
Working groups based on the key focus areas with the Green Plan have been established and report back to the Sustainability Committee on a quarterly basis.
Each year, the Trust produces an annual sustainability report which forms part of the annual report and includes the Taskforce for Climate-related Disclosures reporting requirements.
Playing your part
We all have our part to play in driving forward the changes required to meet our green plan aspirations. With over 7000 members of staff, one action a day to improve sustainability would equate to over 2 million actions in a year!
How you can help:
- Join our flourishing community of Green Champions and help raise awareness of green initiatives across the Trust. Email Nwangliaft.sustainability@nhs.net for more information
- Develop a sustainability lead quality improvement project and get support from our Quality Improvement team. Get in touch with the team by emailing nwangliaft.qualityimprovement@nhs.net
- Be energy smart – turn off lights, computer monitor and screens, and equipment when not in use
- Consider active or sustainability modes of transport to work
- Be resourceful – consider reducing single use items or swapping to reusables where possible and appropriate