Environment & Sustainability
As one of the largest public sector emitters of carbon emissions, the NHS has a duty to meet targets which are entrenched in law.
The James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust continues to make significant progress to reduce its impact on the environment and improve its sustainability.
Our ‘Green Plan’ sets out how we will support the NHS ambition to deliver a 'net zero' National Health Service.
Included within the plan is an analysis of the Trust's current position which demonstrates significant reductions in our CO2 emissions over the past 10 years.
Our approach to sustainability
Environmental
Achieving environmental growth by advancing environmental efficiency across our estate, implementing effective resource usage.
Care
Supporting the health and wellbeing of stakeholders by providing healthy spaces, excellent care, and empowering healthy choices.
Responsibility
Future-proofing by increasing the resilience of our organisation and assets to future demands and pressures.
People
Enhancing social value, increasing our role, and influencing the wider community by thinking and working beyond the boundaries of the James Paget hospital.
Reducing emissions
We’re striving to improve our sustainability credentials and reduce the Trust’s impact on the environment.
In 2007, the Trust established a baseline for its CO2 emissions and initiated a plan to enable it to reduce its carbon footprint.
Over the past 10-years, decarbonisation has been a major lever in the Trust's approach to climate change.
A programme of decarbonisation projects has reduced 1 and 2 emissions (i.e. emission from the consumption of natural gas, oil, electricity, and water) by 25% over the last decade from 6,146 tCO2e to 4,626 tCO2e.
This reduction in emissions has been delivered despite a significant rise in hospital attendances and a general increase in business activity.
CO2 emissions have been reduced by improved utilisation of renewable energy sources, including our PV Solar Panel array and Combined Heat and Power Generators.
Any imported electricity is backed by UK REGOs or European GoOs, from a blend of sources including hydro, wind, solar, biomass and landfill gas, meaning 100% of our electricity is now obtained from green energy sources.
We have also completed a wide range of other schemes to reduce waste and improve efficiency including enhancing building management systems, heat recovery and thermal insulation, installing LED lighting and introducing widespread recycling programmes. These include using recycled and unbleached A4 paper wherever possible, encouraging staff to use our recycling bins to deposit waste including plastic and drinks cans, and having wooden and metal cutlery in our onsite restaurant and café areas rather than single-use plastic cutlery.
You can read more about our recycling projects here; https://www.jpaget.nhs.uk/news-media/news-events/2021-news/august-2021-news/new-equipment-continues-environmental-work/
Our New Hospital Programme
Plans are being developed to build a Health and Social Care Campus to replace the existing James Paget Hospital site. In doing so, we aim to improve the quality of service, increase capacity and help the Trust deliver a truly integrated approach to health and social care which supports our objectives for sustainability and net zero carbon.
Green space
The landscape and public spaces in and around the hospital campus will playing a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of climate change, providing new habitats for wildlife, and creating a healthier and more pleasant environment. Ultimately, the hospital campus should nurture and contribute to the natural systems that sustain us all, not deplete them.
Accommodation
We aim to build new homes for up to 300 key workers, situated within walking distance of the new hospital to create an integrated campus that helps staff feel part of the local community.
Net zero carbon
We will use Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) to help us offset and reduce carbon emissions. The ability to build off-site using standardised designs will help reduce travel times and carbon transport emissions.
We also aim to heat and power the new hospital using new technology avoiding the use of fossil-based fuels; building upon our current journey towards achieving net zero carbon.
Sustainable travel
We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to develop a combined approach for sustainable travel projects.
Firstly, encouraging staff to walk or cycle to work by providing secure cycle storage and shower facilities.
Secondly, encouraging staff and visitors to use public transport by maintaining good transport links with local bus providers.
And thirdly, by giving staff access to a salary sacrifice scheme that offers vehicle leases for fully electric or hybrid vehicles at affordable prices. The use of electric vehicles is to be further supported by the installation of onsite/local charging points in 2022.
Sustainable Development Goals
We have created our strategy alongside the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are a set of seventeen global ambitions and aims focused on ensuring a more eco and socially friendly future.
They were agreed upon by world leaders in 2015 and stand to fight the top issues faced in today’s society. You can read more about the goals here; https://sdgs.un.org/goals
The Green Plan shows how the JPUH will contribute towards these goals as well as how they will integrate with the Sustainability Development Assessment Tool (SDAT) model and Trust strategy.
The Trust intends to adopt the new Green Plan monitoring tool upon its release.