A Review of Current Activities within NHS Scotland to Improve Sustainability Performance
Polly Griffiths, Research Fellow and Sheila Scott, Research Fellow, Caledonian Environment Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University
There is a commitment at Scottish Government level to mainstream sustainable development throughout all activities. Delivery of healthcare in Scotland is through NHSScotland (NHSS), which, as both a major employer and purchaser, has the potential to make a significant contribution towards progressing sustainable development through demonstrable leadership. The work of NHSS focuses on two of the Scottish Government’s five Strategic Objectives: a HEALTHIER Scotland helping people to sustain and improve their health, and a GREENER Scotland improving the natural and built environment and the sustainable use of it. In addition, as a Public Sector body, NHSScotland is committed to sustainable development through Best Value which specifically includes that it should contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development.
The Scottish Government Health Directorates which replaced the Scottish Executive Health Department have produced a range of guidance aiming at placing a duty on NHSS Boards to integrate sustainability into policy and action, e.g. HDL (2006) 21 outlining the new Environmental Policy for NHSScotland, issued in April 2006. Furthermore, since the production of the first Environment Report in 1998, Health Facilities Scotland (HFS), the Facilities Management wing of NHSS has been seeking further ways to monitor and manage their activities more sustainably.
The Caledonian Environment Centre, based at Glasgow Caledonian University, has been working with the Engineering and Environment Division of HFS to assist them in integrating sustainability concerns into their daily operations. At the strategic level a sustainable policy review was conducted to assist HFS in ensuring that policy and guidance documentation maximises opportunities for NHSScotland Bodies to deliver healthcare within a sustainable environment, focussing on the delivery of facilities services and the built environment. Recommendations were developed, to improve NHSS ability to adhere to the principles of sustainable development. These were prioritised in terms of level of impact and influence.
The Centre also produced documentation to assist with the direct implementation of sustainable development policy. Practical guidance was produced to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Management Policy Action Plan (HDL (2006)21). The Plan set out actions to be undertaken to enable the individual NHSScotland Bodies to ensure they are complying fully with the policy requirements. In addition, the Centre produced a Sustainable Buildings Guide; this guide provides a framework for decision makers to ensure that sustainable development is a key consideration at all stages of NHSScotland construction projects.
This paper reviews these activities and appraises the impact of their outputs on the sustainability of daily practices at NHSS sites across Scotland. The outcomes are considered within the context of the other work currently being undertaken by HFS including the development of an overarching sustainable development strategy and continued annual production of the Environment Report as well as: travel plan development; promotion of renewable energy and the Central Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF); roll out of the EMS software tool Greencode; EMART (Environment Monitoring and Reporting Tool), and a model waste policy.
