Sustainability
The Trust takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. We are continuously working to reduce our environmental impact. The objectives of the Trust Green Plan are aligned to the Greener NHS objectives:
Supporting sustainability through the provision of effective and efficient health and social care in partnership with local communities.
This vision is derived from and supported by the Trust’s Clinical Strategy and Estates Strategy. This is most notably in respect of working in partnership with others, providing care closer to home, increasing the efficiency of services through transformational change and rationalising the Trust’s estate. Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) is actively involved in the wider Strategic Transformation Partnership (STP) programme. We are progressing with partnership working initiatives.
In January 2021, our Board of Directors approved the Trust's Green Plan for 2022-2025. This supports the NHS carbon reduction strategy for England published by the Greener NHS.
LPFT will take an organisation wide approach to sustainability, working towards building healthier, resilient, more sustainable communities. This will be achieved by reducing carbon emissions, providing and promoting sustainable healthcare, whilst supporting and promoting healthier lifestyles for Trust staff, patients, and the wider community. We are working in partnership with local authorities, partners, other NHS organisations and suppliers.
To help us work towards meeting our objectives and targets, LPFT will be concentrating on sustainability in the following areas of focus:
- Work Force and System Leadership.
- Sustainable Models of Care.
- Digital Transformation.
- Travel and Transport.
- Estates and Facilities.
- Medicines.
- Supply Chain and Procurement.
- Food and Nutrition.
- Biodiversity and Green Spaces.
- Adaption.
The key elements of our Green Plan 2022-2025
Estates and Facilities and Capital Projects
Our Vision: To work with the staff and Estates teams to ensure buildings and services are managed safely and efficiently in order to reduce costs and limit the environmental impact of the Trust's estate.
LPFT fully understands that its estate consists of a number of different sites and buildings that vary in size, age, condition, and use, but the one thing that all buildings need to have in common is energy efficiency. Therefore, the Trust will be taking an approach to improve the energy efficiency of buildings to ensure maximum benefit when sustainable forms of heat energy generation and forms of renewable energy generation are installed.
New builds and refurbishments will be developed and constructed in accordance with the NHS ‘Invest to save’ initiatives, ensuring high levels of energy efficiency are met, contributing to significant reductions in carbon emissions or net zero (incorporating Modern Methods of Construction – modular units).
Waste management is an important element for environmental control. The Trust operates fully auditable processes to ensure compliance through contract monitoring and spot audits. All staff have a duty of care to assist and support this regime. They must carefully segregate their waste and are supported by a dedicated member of the Estates and Facilities Team.
Travel and Transport
Our Vision: To reduce the negative impacts from travel by supporting staff and patients to use more sustainable forms of travel to our sites.
Promoting and increasing sustainable forms of travel used by Trust staff, patients, and visitors, and reducing the number of journeys taken using unsustainable forms of transport, can have a range of benefits, including helping to improve health by reducing air and noise pollution and improving health through increased physical activity.
The Green Plan supports the Trust status as a good corporate citizen. This enhances reputation and assurance of compliance with the requirements of the Climate Change Act (2008).
The Trust is investing in building fabric and available renewable energy technologies to save energy. This will not only help us meet our environmental responsibilities by reducing our carbon footprint, but will also save money. This can then be reinvested to improve healthcare.
On a national scale, there are further opportunities to support the environment. For example, by planning sustainable transport options for staff and service users. NHS organisations are encouraged to have an active travel strategy that puts walking and cycling at the heart of local transport. The Trust already incentivises staff to cycle by paying 20p per mile for official journeys and commuting to work. It also provides access to the national ‘Cycle to Work Scheme’.
