Publish date: 14 January 2025
Sustainability team from North East NHS trust gains national recognition for commitment to net zero target
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s sustainability team has won the ‘Team of the Year’ award at the Sustainability Partnership Awards for their work to launch and implement the Net Zero Northumbria action plan.
The awards showcase organisations and NHS trusts that have made significant progress in making healthcare a greener industry to support patients, visitors, staff and the wider community.
Net Zero Northumbria is a two-year action plan that was launched in early 2024 to improve the trust’s environmental impact and achieve a net zero status by 2040.
With eight key action areas, the plan has identified areas of opportunity for the reduction of carbon emissions including, journeys and clean air, sustainable procurement and buildings and estate.
Substantial achievements have already been made with projects such as large-scale decarbonisation on hospital sites, advanced waste management processes and travel innovations to reduce single-occupancy journeys amongst staff.
The decarbonisation project which originally was implemented at North Tyneside General Hospital will provide the trust with an 80% decrease in emissions over 15 years. Due to the success, there are plans in place to utilise the framework to reproduce the project across the trust’s other sites.
Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility and strides have been made in educating and empowering staff to take their own action to help tackle climate change. By collaborating with the trust’s HR and Learning and Development Department, staff are encouraged to complete the national ‘Building a Net Zero NHS’ e-learning and the trust’s net zero target has been embedded into new starter inductions.
Clare Winter, head of sustainability, said: “Since the action plan was launched, we have successfully progressed through the key actions thanks to the dedication and determination of both the sustainability team and the wider trust staff who are enthusiastic about driving positive change.
“We have a duty to ensure a greener future for our communities and winning this award is a reflection of our commitment to tackling climate change.”
Future projects include completing habitat surveys across trust sites as part of the biodiversity action plan to identify how the green spaces can be enhanced and implementing a new non-healthcare waste contract meaning more waste can be recycled.
Media contact
Louise Alexander, social media and digital assistant
louise.alexander@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk