Including Adaptation in your Green Plan
Context - the purpose of the Green Plan In October 2020, the Greener NHS National Programme published its new strategy, Delivering a net zero National Health Service. The 2021/22 NHS Standard Contract set out the requirement for trusts to develop a Green Plan to detail their approaches to reducing their emissions in line with the national trajectories. Integrated care systems (ICSs) are expected to develop their own Green Plan, based on the strategies of its member organisations.
The three outcomes of Green Plans should be to:
• Ensure every NHS organisation is supporting net zero • Prioritise interventions as well as improve patient care and community wellbeing while tackling climate change and broader sustainability issues • Support to plan and make prudent capital investments whilst increasing efficiencies
Current Green Plan Guidance
The NHS have published Green Plan guidance. Below is an overview of the key points in this guidance:
• There are seven sections: Digital Transformation; Travel and Transport; Estates and Facilities (inc. building design and refurb); Medicines; Supply chain and procurement; Food and nutrition; and Adaptation • Your Green Plan as an NHS Trust must be submitted every three years • Your plan has to be approved by your organisation’s board/governing body • Integrated Care System (ICS) strategies should be submitted every six years and summarise the Green Plans of relevant member organisations, while also commenting on system-wide priorities and co-ordination and include integration of Trust Green Plans with the efforts of primary care, local authorities and other local care partners • The recommended process includes using SMART actions , processes for reporting , reviewing your progress, taking into account national targets , and engaging with stakeholders
The guidance on including adaptation is as follows:
“This section should summarise your organisation’s plans to mitigate the risks or effects of climate change and severe weather conditions on its business and functions. This may include plans to mitigate the effects of flooding or heatwaves on the organisation’s infrastructure, patients, and staff.” So what should I include in my Green Plan? Please note: The following advice is recommendations produced by SWM and Sniffer, fed into by partners within the NHS. Whilst it refers specifically to guidance from NHSE and makes an effort to elaborate on or further explain this, it is not official NHSE guidance or regulation. You should ensure that you are informed of the specific regulatory expectations of you and your organisation before submitting plans.
Authors: Sustainability West Midlands, Sniffer Partners: NHSE North East & Yorkshire, NHSE North West, NHS Greater Manchester
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online