Our 2021 - 2024 Green Plan
Environmental sustainability is currently in the early stages of development for North Middlesex hospital, partly due to priority focus and resource being placed upon immediate operational issues such as increasing urgent care demand, increasing patient waiting lists as well as dealing with the complexities of the Covid19 pandemic. However, adaptations during the pandemic, such as increased virtual appointments reducing the need for patients to visit the hospital, have shown that we are able to address operational priorities and continue delivering high quality care for our patients whilst having a positive and sustainable impact on the environment.
Whilst environmental sustainability can often be seen as a supplementary ‘nice to do’ programme of work for NHS organisations, we recognise the intrinsic link between climate change and health and believe we must address this issue immediately with speed, purpose and commitment. Whilst the immediate threat of climate change may sound daunting, we believe that we should not see this just as a problem but also as an opportunity for improving how we deliver care through the development of innovative, sustainable services for our patients.
What can we do
This is not to say that addressing climate change and delivering outstanding care is an easy task, and the size and scope of this is often overwhelming with much of the impact being complex, politically sensitive and outside of our control. However, we must challenge ourselves to be a leading voice on this issue, to make bold decisions and pursue innovative and progressive changes that will support our efforts to reduce waste, increase efficiency and enhance productivity.
We must engage our staff, our partners and local population to highlight the climate emergency and promote action to support changes in how we operate as a healthcare community. We must tap into the expertise and passion of our staff to develop new ideas and ways of working, exploring the use of innovative technology that will help prepare us for the changes that climate change will bring, whilst supporting new models of care that are aligned to our strategic objectives including the provision of care beyond the hospital.
We have therefore written this Green Plan with the intention of starting NMUH’s journey to address the issue of climate change and believe that by using this document as a framework we can build a successful Trust-wide sustainability programme that is built on organisation and collaboration, that will enact meaningful change that supports the health and wellbeing of our patients our staff and our local population.