Trusts and ICSs will have until April to develop carbon neutral plans

NHS chief sustainability officer Nick Watts told HSJ the health service’s national plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 “means nothing unless it’s translated into local actions”.

Last October, the NHS became the first health system in the world to commit to becoming carbon neutral.

Speaking at HSJ’s Sustainability Forum this week, Dr Watts said “all trusts and ICSs” will be required to develop net zero plans by April 2022.

He acknowledged the target would be “challenging given everything that’s going on”, but he added: “The plans don’t have to be perfect, but they need to start today.

“The message is: Let’s get on with it and start to deliver something.”

A handful of trusts and ICSs have already published plans to achieve carbon neutrality, with individual areas – such as Cornwall and Bristol – committing to getting to net zero by 2030.

Asked what should be in local plans, Dr Watts highlighted the electrification of transport fleets, and carbon reduction schemes in travel, logistics and medicines as “easy access points”.

He said: “Within climate change we sometimes do a bad job of being tangible. But we’re now in the business of counting the carbon you have reduced day after day,” he said.

“If there’s an ICS that picks something left of field but still reduces kilo-tonnes [of Co2] then I’d be happy.”

The NHS is estimated to contribute 5.6 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, and accounts for 40 per cent of the public sector’s emissions.

Since launching the national plan for net zero last summer, Dr Watts said his work had focused on building a team in NHS England’s sustainability development unit and creating a network of regional sustainability leads.

Asked if more money would be made available to help trusts and ICSs reduce their carbon footprint, Dr Watts said the NHS must not “hamstring ourselves by pretending we can’t respond unless there’s funding”.

“You can act on a vast majority of NHS emissions at either no cost or cost neutral over the short term, around two and a half years.”

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