Less of the same is not the answer

Document by Frances Mortimer added 28 May 2009. 0 comments

The Campaign for Greener Healthcare is working with clinical specialties to transform healthcare for a sustainable future.

Analysis of the NHS carbon footprint shows that even if hospitals were fully powered by renewable energy, total emissions would only be reduced by one-fifth. Other solutions are needed to tackle the 18% of carbon arising from staff and patient travel, or the 60% from purchased goods and services (mainly pharmaceuticals and medical supplies).

As the NHS commits itself to meet the Climate Change Act’s target of 80% carbon reduction by 2050, one thing is clear: less of the same is not the answer. A transformation in clinical practice itself is required.

The Green Specialty programme

The Campaign for Greener Healthcare has chosen to work with clinical specialties, because of their strengths as multi-professional communities focused on the care of specific patient groups. Specialties are uniquely placed to integrate sustainability – from design of the clinical pathway to organisation and delivery of care.

The benefits

Benefits to patients:

  • Patient involvement: by contributing to the Green Specialty programmes, patients can join with the clinical community and help to shape their own care for a better future.
  • Patient-centred care: a major priority for increase of sustainability is the redesign of care to minimize low-value-added travel to hospitals. Solutions include virtual clinics, tele-consultations, blood testing in local rather than regional laboratories, and home-based therapies.
  • Minimising progression of disease: an improved focus on prevention, and better integration of related specialist clinics and primary care can improve the quality of care and reduce waste.

Benefits to clinicians:

  • Clinical leadership: in addressing their social and environmental impact, specialties are setting an example in best-practice healthcare, and creating models which can be applied to other clinical areas.
  • Resilience of clinical services: a reduction in travel and consumption of material resources reduces vulnerability to energy insecurity and rising costs of fuel or carbon.
  • Strengthening clinical communities, building partnership with suppliers: the programmes provide an opportunity for care providers and suppliers to develop a common vision for the specialty and work together to realise it.

Benefits to society:

  • A healthy population: a greater focus on upstream intervention in the determinants of disease helps to support healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices for society at large.
  • Occupational health: the programmes aim to improve working conditions in the supply chain, and eliminate the occupational exposure to toxic products.
  • Environmental gains: the overarching goal of the green specialty programmes is the improved health of the environment and the population who depend upon it.

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