We are delighted to launch our new Green Plan for 2025-2028. This plan builds on our first Green Plan, which was launched in 2022.
What is a Green Plan?
An NHS Green Plan is a 3 year strategic plan which provides a framework of actions that will be taken to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainable outcomes. Long term, Green Plans ensure that sustainability is at the centre of all decision-making and is incorporated into every department, service and policy strategy.
Why do we need a Green Plan?
In 2020, the NHS set up the GreenerNHS programme:
- To reduce the carbon emissions of the NHS which contribute to climate change.
- To reduce the impacts of climate change on public health.
- To move sustainability to the centre of NHS planning and strategy.
GreenerNHS have set an ambitious target of achieving Net Zero Carbon emission in the NHS by 2040.
As part of the GreenerNHS programme, all NHS Trusts have been asked to produce a Green Plan outlining how they will achieve the objectives set out in the National NHS Green Plan Guidance and reduce the environmental impact on local communities.
Our Green Plan will enable us to deliver high-quality sustainable healthcare that is environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically viable working towards achieving the commitments set out in the Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service.
Anchor Institution
As a large local employer and anchor institution, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has a significant impact on the local environment and the communities we serve. The activities and services we deliver create significant amounts of waste and gas emissions, all of which contribute to air quality and climate change. Our Green Plan sets out our vision, strategy and objectives for reducing the Trust’s environmental impact and details how we can use our available resources responsibly to deliver high quality, sustainable healthcare.
Why is sustainability important?
The serious threat that climate change poses to the environment has been well-documented and presents an immediate and growing threat to health. The UK is already experiencing more frequent and severe floods and heatwaves, as well as worsening air pollution. What is perhaps slightly less recognised is the damaging impact this also presents for the delivery of high-quality patient care and the health and wellbeing of our communities.
This is why the National Health Service has a clear ambition to become the world’s first healthcare system to reach net zero carbon emissions.
Building on the work achieved over the last three years, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Green Plan 2025-2028 sets out further plans for working towards this target with the support of our colleagues and the communities we serve. As we stand at the crossroads of environmental sustainability and economic growth, it is essential that we develop a plan that not only addresses the pressing challenges of our time but also paves the way for a greener, more sustainable future.
As an anchor organisation and major teaching hospital trust, we take every opportunity to provide the employment and educational opportunities that can have such a positive effect on individual and collective health, wealth and fulfilment.
Green Plan - Areas of Focus for 2025-2028
Our Green Plan sets out the Trust’s blueprint for delivering on its environmental and sustainability plans with the support of colleagues and the communities we serve. The development and delivery of the Green Plan is fully embedded in our Single Improvement Plan, which sets out the strategic ambitions of the organisation.
The Green Plan champions working practices that promote greater sustainability and efficiency right across our organisation, from transport and energy to utilities and waste, as part of our corporate social responsibility work as a large local employer and anchor institution in Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The key areas of focus within our Green Plan include:
- Workforce and leadership
- Sustainable models of care / Net zero clinical transformation
- Digital transformation
- Travel and transport
- Estates and facilities
- Medicines
- Supply chain and procurement
- Food and nutrition
- Adaptation
- Green space and biodiversity.
You can find more information in our Green Plan about the work we are we’re doing in each of these areas and what we are aiming to achieve over the next 3 years.
What’s in the Green Plan?
This plan outlines our strategic priorities, key actions, and measurable targets that will guide our efforts over the next three years, aligning with our Trust strategy. By focusing on renewable energy, waste reduction, sustainable transportation, and biodiversity conservation, we aim to create a resilient and thriving environment for generations to come.
We will continue to work collaboratively with other health organisations and our local communities in Lancashire and South Cumbria as we move towards delivering new models of care.
What have we achieved so far?
Since we introduced our first Green Plan in 2022, we have made great progress.
Below are some of the areas where we have introduced some ideas to work more sustainably, which are already making a difference to the way we work:
- Cool sticks implementation within Pharmacy for Critical Care and Theatres to reduce the usage of Ethyl Chloride spray, resulting in both a cost saving and environmental saving.
- Office 365 roll out across the Trust supporting home usage and cloud computing.
- Successful funding bid enabled the installation of LED lighting at the Chorley site and part of the Preston site.
- Funding bid approved for heat decarbonisation scheme to reduce steam output at the Preston site.
- 30 Green Champions recruited across the Trust.
- Dedicated Travel Plan produced 2023.
- Working group established to develop and deliver the Green Plan.
- Single use plastics removed from front of house catering outlets.
- The catering team achieved the Bronze status award from the SOIL Association.
- Warp – It reuse and recycling scheme in place across the Trust to encourage re-use of equipment.
- 30 small trees and 40 hedge row whips planted at the Chorley site in the last year.
- Dedicated e-learning module ‘for a greener NHS’ now available for staff to complete.
- Collaborative working across the Integrated Care System sustainability groups to work as a partnership in delivering the green plan.
To make real and lasting change we need to think about how we work at all levels of our organisation. Our Trust Green Plan drives sustainability at a management and institutional level, but we also need to look at how we can change our day to day practice at a grassroots level, with insight and innovation coming from our staff working on the shop floor.
We have developed a Sustainability Champions Network; a network of colleagues from all over the Trust who will drive sustainable change based on their experiences of working at LTH.
Sustainability Initiatives
We have also introduced a range of great sustainability initiatives including:
- WARP-It – a reuse and recycle scheme for colleagues to advertise items they no longer need for use by other wards and departments.
- Reupholstery Scheme – our teams can send any damaged items of furniture to be reupholstered by a local supplier rather than buying new items of furniture.
- Mobility Aids Reuse Scheme – patients are now able to return mobility aids they no longer need to our core therapy teams.
- Gloves Off Initiative – we encourage our clinical teams to avoid unnecessary use of gloves when caring for patients to reduce the amount of gloves we use.
- Car Share Scheme – our colleagues are able to book a reserved car space on site at Royal Preston Hospital when they car share with other colleagues.
If you would like more information about our Green Plan, please contact our Sustainability Team at: sustainabilityhub@lthtr.nhs.uk
