Organisation Bio

As the UK’s largest healthcare charity, Nuffield Health is committed to building a healthier nation. We're one of the 31 award-winning hospitals that, along with our gyms, wellbeing services and flagship programmes, is helping to achieve this.


Product/Services

advice & guidance

About our climate journey

As a leading healthcare charity, we are committed to building a healthier nation, and sustainability is at the top of our agenda. We’re taking bold action to reduce our carbon emissions across the Charity so that we are carbon net zero for our direct emissions by 2030, and 2040 for our indirect emissions.

This year, we’ve set ourselves a 5% carbon reduction target and so far, we’re investing in insulation, LED lighting, and our building management systems to be more energy efficient across our estate. Through our Greener Surgery programme, we’re targeting care pathways; improving our clinical waste systems; using less carbon intensive gases; changing from single use products and reducing single use plastics. And, essential to all of this is the sustainability of our supply chain. We’re working with our suppliers to understand their carbon footprint, and our aim is to support them to ensure their social, environmental, and economic practices are in line with our ambitions.

Most importantly, we’re engaging our people through internal campaigns and our sustainability forum, so they’re involved in the changes we’re making and feel empowered to lead with their own positive actions.


Our climate journey

COMMITTED TO NET ZERO?
CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATED?
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WRITTEN?
MONITORING IMPACT YEARLY?
PLAN TO BE NET ZERO BY...?

2030


See our Climate Action plan

View

Biggest climate achievement to date

Within our hospital we are reducing our energy consumption through a 'Switch off' campaign aimed at encouraging staff to ensure that lights are not left on when rooms are not in use and computers and monitors are switched off rather than left on standby. To support this we have installed PIR light switched where possible and have posters and information on staff noticeboards to remind them when they leave at the end of their working day.

We have switched to china cups rather than paper ones in our reception and waiting areas, saving almost £10,000 per year. While single use cups were a necessity during COVID, we have returned to chinaware which is better for the environment and a more pleasant experience for our patients.

In addition to this, we have reduced our heating bills by asking staff to take responsibility for turning down radiators and A/C when rooms are not in use and ensuring that windows and doors are not left open to reduce heat escaping (during winter).

Nuffield Health stopped using environmentally-harmful anaesthetic gas to reduce carbon footprint. Nuffield Health’s 37 hospitals across the UK have stopped using Desflurane since the start of this year (January 2023). They are now using more Sevoflurane which has a much lower carbon footprint - 130 times more warming than CO2 over 100 years, compared to Desflurane which is 2540 times more warming over the same period.

Our stores department re-use packaging materials and boxes for shipping items and the plastic bags in which we receive some medical supplies are re-used by our housekeeping teams.

We have recently incentivised staff to leave their cars at home by offering a free lunch on a Thursday for those people who travel by bus or car share, or use alternative transport such as bike/ebike.

And many more steps, to numerous to mention.

Most difficult climate challenge faced

We have been very fortunate in that our staff are fully on board with the changes from the start.

Challenges for us will be the addition of electronic records which has increased the number of computer terminals around the building.

We would like to include electric car charging points but we have limited parking on site, making this difficult to implement.

Also as a hospital, there is a certain amount which we cannot change, however we are deeply committed to our goal of Net Zero by 2030.

Best climate advice or tip for others

Small changes lead to big rewards and they are easier to keep to, rather than a big sweeping gesture which is hard to maintain. Just keep going, one small step at a time.


Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital posts & projects

Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital has not created any posts or projects yet, please check back soon.

You can also take a look at some amazing climate projects and inspirations by clicking the links below.

ProjectsInspiration