THE FETAL ANOMALY SCREENING PROGRAMME
GOES GREEN
Climate change presents the biggest challenge to 21st century healthcare and the National Health Service faces a double predicament. Firstly, climate change will impact hugely on people’s health, with frequent heat waves, new diseases and mental stress. Secondly, as the NHS is one of the biggest carbon generators in the UK, the organisation itself must undergo a transformation in order to become sustainable. The NHS in England has a carbon footprint of 18 million tonnes CO2 per year. This is composed of energy (22%), travel (18%) and procurement (60%).
Responding to this urgent need, The Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) was the first healthcare organisation in England to work with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (formerly known as the Campaign for Greener Healthcare) through 2008 to develop a Green Policy and to begin to transform its own services. The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH), a small, dynamic team with extensive experience both of the NHS and of environmental issues, was excited to work with Pat Ward’s team at FASP because of their crucial position in producing over 1 million booklets for new parents each year, and their regional reach in networking with so many midwives and GPs throughout the country.
Sustainability as a management priority
The whole team at FASP agreed an ambitious action plan with CSH including some very concrete short, medium and long-term actions.
FASP have exceeded all their short and medium targets for sustainability including:
• Switch to all recycled paper both in-office and for the 1 million booklets they send out
• Monitor office energy use, share a printer, switch off all computers and monitors not in use
• Review the need to travel for meetings – use phone and video conferencing instead
• Green conferences – local food, tap water and rewarding public/active transport
Clinical transformation
What will healthcare look like in 10 or 15 years’ time, when carbon rationing is re-shaping the NHS? FASP is now working to prepare for a lower carbon future, exploring each area of its services and working with the relevant organisations and individuals including procurement, committed to transforming the service for sustainability. FASP is already taking these next steps and Pat Ward and her team deserve to be recognised as green champions within the NHS.
Useful links and references
1. FASP website www.fetalanomaly.screening.nhs.uk.
2. The NHS Sustainable Development Unit www.sdu.nhs.uk has just published the first Carbon Reduction Strategy for the NHS outlining a 10% reduction by 2015 and an 80% reduction by 2050.
3. Carbon footprinter www.direct.gov.uk/ActonCO2.org to measure your own footprint
4. The Carbon Trust www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy/startsaving/sectorselector/healthcare_15.htm