Northern Sydney Local Health District has continued to set the groundwork and progress sustainability efforts across all hospitals and services. The district reached a significant milestone in 2023, with the completion of the baseline carbon footprinting which involved determining the amount of carbon dioxide the district emits and from where. does not directly control but can potentially influence (referred to as scope 3), NSLHD aims to reach net zero by 2050, with a 50 per cent reduction by 2035. This will involve ongoing work with the district’s partners and suppliers address the key hotspots. “We are working on a dashboard so we can track our progress to net zero and translate this into emissions reductions and cost savings.” NSLHD continued planetary health efforts
to influence and improve the environmental sustainability of NSLHD’s supply chain. NSLHD Planetary Health Manager Nicola Groskops, who has been working in the key role since 2022, said having the baseline carbon footprinting completed has given the district a foundation to improve on. “It’s been great to be able to see the results of the footprinting and what the hotspots are for us as a district and what we need to do to address these,” she said. “Whilst the journey to net zero is a complex one, we are excited that we have a starting point, and we are already well underway to
Nicola said the district is also developing the new NSLHD Planetary Health Framework 2024-2027, which will provide a roadmap for the journey to net zero. “On the back of the inaugural NSLHD Planetary Health Framework 2021-2023, the new framework will leverage what we now know about our district’s carbon footprint and set clear and actionable strategies for working together towards net zero,” she said. Staff members, patients and community members will have the opportunity to have their say and provide feedback on a draft of the new framework.
The process, which was completed by sustainability experts Arup, has given the district insight into what its emissions are and what can be improved on. The footprinting also allowed the district to model its path to net zero carbon emissions and further define its net zero commitment. For the emissions the district directly controls (referred to as scopes 1 and 2), NSLHD aims to reach net zero by 2035, with a 70-80 per cent reduction by 2030. This includes reducing emissions from electricity, fleet vehicles, natural gas and medical gases. For the emissions the district
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NSLHD 2023 Year in Review
RNSH celebrated National Tree Day
With the help of Chief Executive Anthony Schembri, RNSH celebrated National Tree Day by planting a tree on the campus.
Established in 1996 by Planet Ark, National Tree Day has grown into Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature care event. The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community. The planted tree is a native called a Tuckeroo ( Cupaniopsis Anarcardioides ) and will provide a broadleaf canopy of leaves providing shade and comfort for visitors. With the RNSH campus being in the local Willoughby region, the tree is part of the Willoughby Council Tree Master Plan, which aims to maintain consistency of certain species in the local area.
Chief Executive Anthony Schembri helped celebrate the day by planting a tree on campus
Plastic Free July
Sustainability efforts were in full swing at Mona Vale Hospital and Brookvale Community Health Centre as part of Plastic Free July. Plastic Free July is a global
Mathivanan said the committee was always looking for ways to contribute to NSLHD’s planetary health efforts on the journey to net zero. “We work hard to reinforce simple things that can be done by reminding our teams to be conscious about the use of plastic items where they can,” he said. “Plastic Free July has been a great opportunity to raise some awareness about small changes
having a significant impact of a period of time. “We also try to make these efforts the whole year round. We’ve had our makeshift ‘recycle centre’ set up at Brookvale Community Health Centre in the population health promotion office for coffee cups, reusable bowls, stationary, batteries and some nice treats to thank staff for their efforts.”
movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution, with a focus on discouraging the use of single-use cups. Participating in the movement was encouraged by the Mona Vale Hospital and the Brookvale
Community Health Centre Sustainability Committee which is chaired by former A/General Manager MVH Mathivanan Sakthivel.
42 NSLHD 2023 Year in Review
A move to paper
To help reduce plastic waste, Royal North Shore Hospital has transitioned to using paper bags for patients’ belongings, replacing the former pink plastic versions. The bags were implemented across the hospital with the help of the clinical products team and are provided to patients to store belongings when visiting or staying at the hospital. RNSH Director of Corporate Services Amanda Harriss said the transition will reduce plastic usage considerably across the hospital.
“In the past we were using 55,000 pink plastic bags per year for patients’ belongings,” she said. “The new paper bags are just as sturdy and will help reduce our plastic usage considerably, which is something we are proud of.” This transition comes as NSLHD has been actively working on its sustainability efforts, committing to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035, with most of the reduction – 70 to 80 per cent – to be achieved by 2030. Staff from RNSH with the new paper patient bags
Student family health nurse Michaela using her reusable coffee cup and water bottle
43 NSLHD 2023 Year in Review
RNSH anaesthetists awarded grant for game-changing device
A team of anaesthetists from Royal North Shore Hospital were awarded funding as part of the NSW Health Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund.
Anaesthetists Ben Olesnicky, Andrew Lindberg and Carl D’Souza will develop a device that will convert excess anaesthetic gases, a potent greenhouse gas, into a harmless by-product.
The team will work alongside chemical engineers from UNSW Sydney to develop a clinical prototype device that has the capability of removing a significant proportion of gases
from the operating theatre before it reaches the environment. Once a successfully tested clinical prototype has been created, it could be adapted to fit all current anaesthetic machines in use across the state. “The device will use an ultraviolet light to convert the anaesthetic gas to harmless by-product, which will ensure no harmful exposure to patients, staff or the general population,” he said. reducing the amount of gases we use, but rather reducing their effect on the environment.” The device is currently undergoing laboratory testing and Ben says there could be potential for it to be implemented on a broader scale if it’s proven to be effective. “The device will not only help “This project isn’t necessarily about Royal North Shore to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint, but it could also be implemented on a larger scale to help reduce the health system's wider carbon footprint,” he said. The Northern Sydney Local Health District has been actively working on its sustainability efforts, committing to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035, with most of the reduction – 70 to 80 per cent – to be achieved by 2030.
RNSH anaesthetists Andrew Lindberg, Ben Olesnicky and Carl D’Souza
22 NSLHD 2023 Year in Review
The NSW Health Awards – now in their 25th year – recognise personalised, sustainable, and digitally enabled health programs that deliver outcomes that matter most to patients and invest in the wellness of the NSW community.
A group of anaesthetists from Royal North Shore Hospital were finalists in the ‘Environmental Sustainability Award’. Anaesthetists Associate Professor Matthew Doane, Dr Adam Rehak, Dr Penny Hodges, Dr Andy Lindberg, Dr Aprit Srivastava and Dr Max Benness have been actively working as part of a multifaceted program to reduce the perioperative carbon footprint at the hospital by introducing a multifaceted program. Reducing anaesthetic greenhouse gases
A highlight for the team has been implementing the significant shift away from anaesthetic gases which are high carbon emitters – such as desflurane, which has a global warming potential that is almost 2500 times greater than carbon dioxide. Desflurane usage at RNSH has gone from 30 per cent of total gas usage to less than two per cent, which is well below the NSW Health key performance indicator of four per cent. Penny and Andy are also both sustainability leads for anaesthesia and are part of NSLHD’s Australian First Net Zero Leads program, which involves educating staff, implementing practice changes, and undertaking audits. L-R: Anaesthetists Dr Andy Lindberg, Associate Professor Matthew Doane, Dr Penny Hodges, Dr Adam Rehak
No Suppression Group Paula Hanlon and the ‘No Suppression Group’ Project were finalists in the ‘Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services Award’ category. This award recognises and showcases work in improving the quality and safety of mental health patient care within programs and services. “I am so excited,” said Paula, Manager of Ryde Consumer Services who co-founded the group 13 years ago. No Suppression brings together people with lived experience of mental health issues to share their creativity and build social connections. They currently meet monthly at Macquarie Hospital.
“The group is about offering a safe space for people to share their creativity, whether it’s through poetry, music, art and comedy. We sometimes have joke offs — the longest joke-off we had went for 46 minutes,” said Paula.
Paula Hanlon
51 NSLHD 2023 Year in Review
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