‘If you care about people, you invariably care about the environment’

The biggest determinant of people’s health is the environment in which they live.

This is what Wendy Cheeseman, Sustainability Manager at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust told us in this week’s Big Zero Briefing.

‘At the NHS, we say lower emissions equal lower admissions.

‘If you’re a healthcare professional and if you care about people, you invariably care about the environment as well and the impact that has on people.

‘We absolutely understand that any decision we make today and any carbon we pump into the environment will impact the health of the populations we serve locally, nationally and globally.

‘To this extent, all of our staff are absolutely committed in some way or another to try and make a difference in their area. They are driven by different drivers, so sometimes the environmental benefit is perhaps a co-benefit from trying to reduce waste.’

Wendy told us that the NHS has ambitious net zero targets.

‘The NHS has stringent net zero targets. We’re looking to be net zero in our activities that we control by 2040 and in our supply chain by 2045.

‘These are really difficult targets to achieve and we must work together. And that’s one thing the NHS are extremely good at, collaborating.

‘We are all doing the same thing and there are a lot of opportunities for us to standardise, share learning and resources.’

Wendy told us that decarbonising their supply chain is essential.

‘I can’t remember the first or the second largest employer in the world is but the NHS is up there. We have a massive spend and we have to spend it wisely but also in a way that doesn’t contribute to climate change.

‘So, we request and require our suppliers to have carbon reduction plans that mirror ours.’

Watch the full episode below and register for the final Big Zero Show tickets to find out how you can improve your company’s performance.