Green Plan

Why this matters

Nearly 153,000 people work in health and social care in Greater Manchester.

National research shows that 87 per cent of NHS staff support the work to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Training and development related to climate change can help staff play their part and come up with innovative ideas.

This focus area includes:

• Adding a climate change section to all staff inductions
• Encouraging staff to take part in our Cycle to Work scheme
• Sharing training with GPs and hospitals
• Supporting hospitals to deliver their Green Plans

Why this matters

Each health treatment or condition requires the involvement of specific staff or procedures.

Providing care closer to home – in primary care (GP, opticians, pharmacy and dentists) or in the community – reduces journeys and readmissions to hospitals. So does better home and social care, and social prescribing

As well as providing better care for people, this will help to reduce carbon emissions!

This focus area includes:

• Improving people’s physical and mental health to reduce the need for healthcare
• Designing care that is better for people and the environment
• Measuring if what we are doing is making a difference

Why this matters

Using digital technology can reduce the amount of travel to healthcare appointments.

For example, virtual appointments can reduce carbon emissions while still providing good patient care.

This focus area includes:

• Measuring by how much virtual appointments and virtual wards – also known as hospital at home – reduce carbon emissions
• Expanding the Greater Manchester Care Record

Why this matters

Every year, poor air quality contributes to 1,200 deaths in Greater Manchester

In towns and cities, road vehicles are the main source of air pollution. Healthcare travel contributes to this, but people can also be affected by poor indoor air quality.

The most vulnerable people – children, older people and those with health conditions – are hit hardest by air pollution.

This focus area includes:

• Allowing remote working where suitable
• Using low and ultra low emission vehicles
• Encouraging the use of e-cargo bikes – electric bikes designed to carry loads
• Promoting greener travel for staff such as cycle to work and car share schemes
• Providing secure storage for bikes and more charging points for electric vehicles
• Working with Transport for Greater Manchester, the organisation which is responsible for transport policies in the region

Why this matters

In Greater Manchester, NHS estates (our buildings and their grounds) contribute to our carbon emissions.

However, we can reduce the amount of energy and water we use, and send less waste to landfill.

This focus area includes:

• Introducing energy saving measures such as LED lighting
• Improving insulation
• Using renewable energy – like air and ground source heat pumps and solar panels – to heat buildings rather than fossil fuels
• Increasing recycling

Why this matters

Some medicines contribute to global warming, for example anaesthetic gases or some asthma/COPD inhalers which contain powerful greenhouse gases.

We can reduce this by using ‘greener’ alternatives where appropriate or improving people’s health so they don’t need them!

This focus area includes:

• Increasing the use of green inhalers
• Changing the types of gases used in operating theatres
• Reducing medicine waste
• Increasing social prescribing to promote healthy lifestyles

Why this matters

A large part of the NHS’s carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouses gases generated by our activities) comes from the goods and services we buy from our partners and suppliers.

We can influence this. That’s why the NHS has published the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap to help suppliers understand how they can help the NHS meet its net zero targets.

This focus area includes:

• Taking net zero and social value into account (weighting) when awarding contracts
• Reducing transport emissions
• Reducing and stopping the use of single-use plastics in catering
• Piloting reusable or remanufactured products as alternatives to single-use items

Why this matters

What we eat has a big impact on our health and wellbeing. The food sector also plays an important role in Greater Manchester’s economy, employing more than 100,000 people in industries ranging from agriculture to hospitality.

However, the food sector also generates carbon emissions and waste which can be reduced

This focus area includes:

• Helping people to have healthier and greener diets
• Monitoring how much bottled water is used in hospitals
• Using locally-sourced food
• Increasing the amount of meat-free menu days for retail catering in hospitals
• Reducing food waste

Why this matters

We are already experiencing the effects of climate change, including more extreme weather, heatwaves and flooding. These are a threat to people’s health, healthcare buildings and critical infrastructure.

Climate change adaptation is how we adapt and prepare for these risks.

This focus area includes:

• Supporting hospitals and other healthcare sites to have climate change adaptation plans
• Helping hospitals to identify sites that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and taking steps to reduce this
• Working with councils to understand and prepare for flooding

Why this matters

Places like parks, gardens, woodlands, canals and rivers are nice places to be. Spending time in them can help to improve our health and wellbeing!

They are also good for the environment as they improve air quality, reduce noise, provide shade, reduce temperatures and help to prevent flooding.

Over a quarter of Greater Manchester is made up of urban green spaces, but some places have more than others. More also needs to be done to improve biodiversity: the variety of animals, plants and fungi in these places.

This focus area includes:

• Compiling information about the amount of green spaces on healthcare sites so we can make the most of them
• Encouraging GPs, hospitals and other healthcare providers to develop and enhance their local green spaces through activities like tree planting, beekeeping and installing bat & bird boxes
• Working with councils on relevant programmes

Why this matters

NHS GM Integrated Care is an ‘anchor’ institution. This means it is connected to local communities, healthcare organisations such as hospitals, universities, local authorities, businesses and the VCFSE (voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise) sector.

Social value is the wider social, economic and environmental benefits which ‘anchor’ organisations can bring to local communities when delivering their services.

This includes employment rights, having sustainable and ethical procurement practices and working with local partners.

This focus area includes:

• Taking social value into account when awarding contracts
• Setting up a network of social value leaders
• All healthcare organiations paying the Real Living Wage