446 A Journey to a greener NHS: sharing processes and insights

Abstract

<h3>Aims</h3> In October 2020 the NHS has made a commitment to becoming NetZero by 2040.¹ It is the first global healthcare system to make such a pledge and all trusts were given a mandate to produce a ‘Green Plan’ by January 2022. This piece aims to outline the processes of how an individual department can engage in this mission and multiple levels It hopes to inspire others to do the same and to continue the rich history of sharing and collaboration to achieve success across child health care challenges <h3>Methods</h3> Descriptive demonstration of process mapping concepts including how to build a network, decide on a shared goal, embed into a wider Green picture and inspire through existing success. <h3>Results</h3> Find you collaborators - search widely, across the whole MDT and all grades Learn from others - reach out beyond your trust to learn from previous success Set up a distribution list and hold regular meetings Create an action plan with achievable goals using a collaborative approach Look beyond the speciality for inspiring case studies - our local example came from the surgical teams who had pushed through a pilot for re-usable surgical gowns. Engage with local children, young people and their families to understand their concerns and take opportunities to educate - our local example was running focus groups with adolescents with asthma to understand attitudes to their inhalers, willingness to change and concerns for the future Use existing carbon footprint data (national) to prove sustainability in past/current innovation to inspire.² <h3>Local example</h3> Our trust established a novel mechanism of integrated care in 2015; general paediatric consultants support a collection of GP practices (hubs) through monthly MDT and outreach clinics. The cost savings for this had been well documented. Revisiting the original data we were able to show that this model across only 3 GP surgeries resulted in approximately 12.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide across a year - the equivalent of driving the length of the UK in a petrol car 36 times! Table 1 is included in attachments. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Achieving meaningful and impactful improvements in the carbon footprint of healthcare processes is the biggest challenge currently facing health care providers. The task seems overwhelming which often leads to inertia but even talking about climate change with colleagues can be a way to help tackle it, no conversation is too small. Start that journey today and reach out to your local Green Team. <h3>References</h3> Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service 2020. NHS England and NHS Improvement. Sustainable Development Unit. Carbon Hotspots update for the health and care sector in England 2015. Cambridge: SDU, 2016.