Greener ICS

Cleaner air, greener spaces, and sustainable services reduce respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, improve mental health, and promote wellbeing.

Environmental risks disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Our plan targets these disparities by embedding equity into climate action.

By transforming how we deliver care—from clinical pathways to digital services—we reduce emissions while improving outcomes.

• Phasing out of Desflurane across Acute Trusts​
• Reduction in Nitrous Oxide emissions​
• Reduction in emissions from Inhalers​
• Heat decarbonisation plans​
• Multimillion pounds funding awards across the system for green projects​
• Major estates decarbonisation projects​
• Plant based meal options​
• Staff salary sacrifice for cycle to work schemes​
• Sustainable Travel Plans​
• Transition to EV Fleet Vehicles underway ​
• Implementation of food waste collections
• Staff salary sacrifice schemes for low emissions and zero emissions vehicles​
• Green champion networks for clinical and non-clinical staff​
• Board Level Carbon Literacy Training​
• Promotion of net zero carbon literacy training to staff​
• 6 x Clinical Sustainability fellowships​
• Tailored Green Social Prescribing offers​
• 10% social value weighting in procurements​
• Sustainability themed Partners Assembly​
• Emissions avoided through virtual appointments

Long-Term Vision:
Empower the workforce to champion sustainability—embedding net zero principles into leadership, education, and everyday practice, building a culture that drives climate action and delivers greener, fairer healthcare for all.

Key Next Steps:

• Set targets and monitor uptake of sustainability training and development opportunities for staff.
• Embed sustainability impact assessments into decision-making processes across the system.
• Seek system-wide support to add ‘Building a Net Zero NHS’ to mandatory training and explore including sustainability in staff appraisals.

Long-Term Vision:
Redesign care pathways and reduce emissions from clinical activity by embedding sustainable clinical practice—driven by clinical leadership, continuous improvement, and collaboration to deliver high-quality, low-carbon care.

Key Next Steps:

• Appoint a Net Zero Clinical Lead in each Trust and engage divisional leads.
• Identify and replace three high-volume single-use items with reusable alternatives.
• Redesign at least one high-emission care pathway per Trust and share learning from sustainability projects.

Long-Term Vision:
Deliver services and communications digitally where clinically appropriate, without compromising patient care or worsening inequalities in access.

Key Next Steps:

• Deploy Electronic Patient Records across providers and move to energy-efficient cloud hosting.
• Increase use of digital correspondence and virtual appointments to reduce travel and paper use.
• Review and optimise data centre infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions.

Long-Term Vision:
Use and prescribe low-carbon medicines by default where clinically appropriate.

Key Next Steps:

• Decommission nitrous oxide manifolds and move to portable nitrous oxide where clinically indicated.
• Promote low-carbon inhalers and appropriate disposal of medicines through awareness campaigns.
• Expand medicines waste reduction projects based on pilot learnings

Long-Term Vision:
Achieve net zero infrastructure, using green spaces to support health and wellbeing, and proactively increase biodiversity.

Key Next Steps:

• Implement heat decarbonisation projects and upgrade building management systems.
• Undertake space utilisation surveys and deliver estates rationalisation plans.
• Establish and deliver biodiversity and water efficiency initiatives across the estate.

Long-Term Vision:
Transition fleet (including ambulances and rapid response vehicles) to zero emissions and support staff to travel actively with access to sustainable travel schemes.

Key Next Steps:

• Develop and publish sustainable travel plans promoting active travel and low-emission vehicles.
• Continue transition to low/zero-emission vehicles and install EV charging infrastructure.
• Collaborate with regional partners to ensure healthcare access is considered in local transport planning.

Long-Term Vision:
Lead a sustainable, ethical, and resilient supply chain that minimises environmental impact, promotes social value, and drives innovation in procurement.

Key Next Steps:

• Ensure ongoing compliance with 10% net zero and social value weighting for all new procurements.
• Work with regional partners to share best practices and jointly engage suppliers.
• Develop processes for monitoring supplier compliance with carbon reduction plans and reporting.

Long-Term Vision:
Continue to deliver core services by planning for and taking action to mitigate against the risks of climate change.

Key Next Steps:

• Ensure compliance with NHS adaptation standards and integrate adaptation into business continuity.
• Complete Trust-specific climate change risk assessments to inform planning.
• Cascade weather health alerts and share learnings across the system.

Long-Term Vision:
Deliver nutritious, sustainable, and climate-conscious food services that support patient recovery, staff wellbeing, and environmental stewardship.

Key Next Steps:

• Scope and implement electronic meal ordering systems to reduce waste and improve efficiency.
• Establish food waste baselines and set reduction targets.
• Promote food sustainability training and collaborate through the Nottinghamshire Sustainable Food Network.