On July 1, Nick Phillips will chair the second of HEFMA's Virtual Series seminars, which will focus on Sustainability and approach the topic from a very broad platform.
Sustainability in healthcare is about more than just reducing the energy used in heating, cooling and lighting the buildings used to deliver care across the estate. Sustainable practices and behaviours need to be embedded within all activities relating to the provision of healthcare.
Dr Richard Hixson, Clinical Lead for Sustainability at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, will deliver the keynote address. A Consultant in Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Richard is also a Trustee of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, a member of NHS England's Sustainable Procurement and Supplier Forums and co-founder of NHS Ocean.
Richard has a particular interest in 'Global Goal 14, Life Below Water', and how anthropogenic activities, including healthcare procurement and container shipping adversely affect the marine environment. His goal is to ensure the oceans, coasts and inland waterways are not forgotten in NHS net zero planning.
Without healthy oceans, it will be impossible to successfully tackle the climate crisis. It is therefore a core sustainability issue, but it one that is often overlooked. Richard's presentation will provide some insight into why it is so important and how NHS Trusts should factor this in to their own green plans to achieve net zero carbon.
Two further speakers will provide more detail on other aspects of sustainability. Simon Adamson, Deputy Director of Estates & Facilities at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust will provide another refreshing slant on sustainability, looking at how new ways of working adapted by healthcare providers during the pandemic can be extended further. This will have an impact on the hospital estate in terms of space required and operational costs/carbon, as well as the potential to reduce unnecessary journeys - both in the daily commute and in business miles.
Our final speaker, Alexis Percival, is Environmental and Sustainability Manager at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Electrifying the ambulance fleet has implications for every acute Trust, as each will have to provide heavy-duty rapid charging points for ambulances. Hear about the challenges of this work programme.
This second event in our special series of 90-minute power sessions being held throughout 2021 will take place next Thursday, July 1, at 12 noon. It is free to attend for HEFMA members and available at a small charge for non-members. Book your place online.
The first of HEFMA's Virtual Series seminars, focusing on hospital food and the recommendations of the Hospital Food Review, including staff training/development and tackling food waste, was very successful and informative, concluding with a lively and extensive Q&A session. Any HEFMA members who were not able to attend this event may listen to a full recording now by logging-in to your region of this website. Reports will also be published in the July/August issues of HEFMA Pulse and Hospital Food + Service magazines.
Further events in this series will focus on Compliance (July 22), Digitisation (September 14) and the Workforce (October 7). All events are free to attend for HEFMA members and places can be booked now on this website.
