Launching our newly refreshed ‘Green Plan 2025-28’
In line with national guidance we are pleased to be launching our newly refreshed: Lewisham and Greenwich Trust NHS Green Plan (2025-2028) [pdf] 8MB.
The NHS is the world’s first healthcare system to commit to reaching net zero emissions and this plan is a road-map for how we make Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust a more sustainable organisation, while continuing to provide the best possible care for our patients.
The updated plan sets out priorities and actions over the next three years and covers everything from how we power our buildings to reducing waste, improving clinical practice and working with our suppliers to improve our procurement practices. It’s about making changes that benefit both the environment and patient care – and doing so in a way that is realistic, given the pressures our staff face every day and the current financial context for the NHS.
We have some huge projects in their initial stages at the moment – ones that will deliver generational change in how we generate energy and make savings!
The approach to our refreshed Green Plan has been to:
- Focus on areas where we can make the biggest impact on reducing emissions – such as the plan to for new solar panels and a ground sourced heat pump system at UHL
- Keep patient care at the heart of every decision
- Support and enable staff who want to get involved in sustainability
- Work with our partners across the SEL system to achieve shared goals.
These plans go hand-in-hand with some of the fantastic work that has been done over the past three years, like the installation of 4400 energy efficient LED lights, clinicians making the switch to prescribing Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs), eliminating the use of the harmful anaesthetic gas Desflurane, our Gloves Off project, our ‘How are you getting home?’ campaign focusing on non-emergency patient transport, the success of our Bladder, Bowel and Pelvic Health Service in reducing the number of products given to patients that go un-used and recycling initiatives that have increased our recycling rate to 27% and eliminated any of our waste going to landfill sites.
Dr Neil Goulbourne, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer & Deputy CEO said: “There is a lot of great sustainability to celebrate across LGT but we are more aware than ever of the challenges we collectively face environmentally. Climate change is having a very real impact on health inequalities, which places additional pressure on our services and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable in our communities. The work we do we’re doing now and in the coming years to reduce our emissions, and costs, will make a very meaningful difference to our service users, our local community and colleagues for generations to come. We’re pleased to have you all with us on this journey and look forward to sharing more sustainability news with you soon.”
You can also visit our Sustainability page to find out more about the work happening across LGT and the wider ambitions of the NHS.