Following our achievements since we first launched our Green Plan five years ago, it has now been refreshed to take us through the next three years.

Environment Manager, Grace Barrett, said: “The refreshed plan outlines how CHFT will meet national sustainability commitments and continue to reduce our environmental impact. It supports the NHS’s net zero ambitions and aligns with the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System and local authority climate action goals. It builds on our previous plan, reinforcing our commitment to delivering sustainable healthcare and reducing the environmental impact of our operations.”

Here are some of the achievements made since the plan was first launched:

• The new ED at HRI achieved BREEAM ‘Excellent’ – BREEAM is the world leading sustainability assessment method used to specify and measure the sustainability performance of buildings, ensuring that projects meet sustainability goals and continue to perform optimally over time.
• We upgraded and installed new EV charging points at Acre Mills and HRI and will install additional charging points in the new multi-storey car park at CRH. 90% of our own fleet vehicles are now low emissions vehicles.  
• We have upgraded lighting across our estate to LED, to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings.
• Developed a Green Champions training package to provide the knowledge to empower staff to act as sustainability ambassadors in their departments (see below for the next training session if you'd like to be involved)
• Since 2021, more than 1,500 tonnes of our waste has been recycled and we have established furniture and walking aid re-use schemes to ensure our resources are used as efficiently as possible. As well as reducing environmental impact, these schemes have helped to save more than £50,000 per year.
• We have planted more than 600 saplings at HRI with support from the woodland trust and NHS forest. Once established this will create a hedgerow and orchard at Acre Mill, to support biodiversity.
• The new learning centre at CRH was built using modern methods of construction to reduce embodied carbon and is supplemented by Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy.

Some of the key priorities for the next three years include:

• Expanding on site renewables by installing solar PV across more of our estate to reduce reliance on the grid and generate clean energy on site.
• Decommissioning our nitrous oxide manifolds and switching to a more manageable cylinder-based system. Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas with a very high global warming potential and by doing this we can reduce emissions from leakage, as well as long term staff exposure.
• Continue to deliver our heat decarbonisation plans to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to low carbon heating systems, such as air source heat pumps.
• Working with clinical colleagues to reduce the environmental impact of care delivery, such as reviewing single use items, improving hazardous waste segregation and investigating opportunities for innovation.
• Working with our construction partners to ensure that sustainability is embedded into capital schemes such as the new clinical build at CRH.
• Engaging our suppliers to ensure their operations align with our net zero targets and continuing to embed sustainability and social value requirements into all our procurements.

The plan, which is in our Policies and Documents Library, covers nine key areas of focus for us to prioritise over the next three years. The themes range from Workforce and Leadership, to Digital Transformation, Travel and Transport, and Medicines.

Green Champion Training

Our next Green Champion training session is on Tuesday, 21st October, at HRI from 13:00 to 15:00.

Book your space here: CHFT Green Champions Training- Booking form or email grace.barrett@cht.nhs.uk