Sustainable Development
Lead Analyst: Imogen Tennison
Climate change is arguably the largest health threat that faces us. The NHS has recognised the importance of mitigating climate change with the publication of the NHS SDU Saving Carbon, Improving Health: NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy.
The first action identified in the NHS Carbon Reduction strategy is for all NHS organisations to have a Board approved Sustainable Development Management Plan. Developing and reviewing progress on sustainable development is key in monitoring performance. The NHS Good Corporate Citizen assessment test provides a set of process measures for action on sustainable development.
We now know that the NHS in England produces 21 million tonnes of CO2e a year and reducing these emissions forms an integral part of sustainable development. Reporting and understanding the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for each NHS organisation is an important step in reducing carbon emissions.
ERPHO is the Association of Public Health Observatories national lead observatory for sustainable development. We will be working closely with the Sustainable Development Unit of the NHS to review how information on carbon emissions can be included in decision making across the NHS.
The NHS SDU monthly bulletins gives the latest news on sustainable development in the NHS. If you would like to receive emails with the latest bulletin please email Karl Heidel.
This page brings together both regional and national reports and resources.
 | Latest additions, news and events |
Service change and innovation are critical in embedding quality in the NHS, as detailed in the Darzi NHS Next Stage review. Evaluation of service change has largely focused on the internal financial impact with little consideration of the external costs such as carbon emissions.
Quantifying the carbon impact of these changes to services will be critical if the NHS is to meet the target of a 10% reduction in carbon emissions by 2015.
First, we need to establish the scale of carbon emissions per unit activity in order to quantify carbon impact of these changes. Carbon emissions per unit of healthcare activity an indication of the carbon emissions per unit of healthcare activity, calculated by taking the average of four different methods for determining carbon per unit of activity.
Using four methods to calculate the scale of carbon per unit activity the paper presents averages and summarises the results from these four calculations.
West Midlands Public Health Observatory (WMPHO) have published this report looking at the Health Effects of Climate Change. Between October 2009 and March 2010 a Defra funded report was put together with the intent on providing in depth information of the extent of climate change in the West Midlands and the effects that climate change could have on the Region’s health up until the 2080s. The document includes an investigation into:
- The direct effects of temperature on health
- Climate change, air pollution, respiratory diseases and allergens
- Climate change, food, water and vector borne diseases
- Climate change, indoor environments and health
- Climate change, ultra-violet radiation and health
- Impacts of extreme weather events on health
- Climate change and health inequalities
- Recommendations for adaptation strategies
More information on the WMPHO website.
 | Background and Methodology |
 | Data and analysis |
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For more information on what the NHS is doing visit the Sustainable Development Unit
Get your organisation involved go to NHS Good Corporate Citizen