1st NHS Sustainability Day: 28 March 2012

Monday, 16 January 2012 11:25  |  Webmaster

The countdown has begun to the first NHS Sustainability day of action on 28 March 2012. The event is organised by 10:10, a charity set up to reduce our carbon emissions by 10% in a year and has already attracted strong support from many Trusts and other NHS organisations, Supply Chain partners, Royal Colleges, Professional Institutes and other bodies.

10:10 (www.1010global.org/uk) is backed by a range of organisations including Comic Relief, the Carbon Trust and the Energy Saving Trust as well as by many local councils, clubs, associations, businesses and individuals. Given the carbon impact of delivering healthcare services in the NHS 10:10 are keen to see involvement from all areas of healthcare including cleaning and domestic activities on NHS Sustainability Day.

AHCP members are encouraged to participate in this initiative. They will be joining members from other professional organisations which have also been invited to participate including the BMA and the RCN so that all aspects of healthcare delivery are considered on the day from all stakeholders.

Departments, organisations and individuals are encouraged to think up their own imaginative ways of to get involved.Support and involvement could include any of the following:

• A sustainability awareness day held on the date
• Pledges to change actions to become more sustainable
• Publicised site based initiatives in advance of the event
• Non clinical and clinical actions on the day 
• A day of education, participation, action and fun
• Patient, community, supply chain and partner engagement

Examples which have been suggested include local sourcing of food, low carbon menus, procurement changes, travel, walk to work day etc. Ultimately it is up to your organisation to support the day in an imaginative and engaging manner!

A team of dedicated volunteers are currently preparing a comprehensive electronic event pack that will be made available in the first week of February 2012. The event pack will include a range of event information to give more ideas for the day for participants to use to raise sustainability awareness locally such as posters, stickers, stats, top tips, case studies etc. The information will also be available for downloading from an event website.

AHCP members who wish to get involved should contact Trevor Payne, Director of Estates & Facilities at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust by email on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to ensure they are signed up to receive the information pack. It would also be really useful if you could email your organisation's logo and some outline details of what you are planning to do.

Members are also asked to encourage colleagues in other organisations, supply chain partners, professional networks etc., to sign up for the NHS Sustainability day of action if they have not already done so!