North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) has become the first NHS Trust to sign the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.
Developed by the UK research and innovation sector, the voluntary concordat ‘represents a shared ambition for the UK to continue delivering cutting-edge research, but in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable way’.
Clinical trials contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, with average carbon emissions generated per trial of almost 80 tonnes. This is equivalent to the average carbon footprint of one person in the UK for 13 years.
In a letter of commitment to the priorities of the concordat Maria Kane, Joint CEO for NBT and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation, said:
“Since declaring a climate emergency and setting an ambitious 2030 net-zero target in October 2019, North Bristol NHS Trust has consistently been at the forefront of climate action within the NHS. Our signing this concordat, the first NHS Trust to do so, is further testament to our commitment to take shared action to reduce and eliminate our own negative environmental impacts.”
The concordat covers six action areas in which organisations carrying out research and innovation commit to taking action at an institutional level:
- Leadership and system change
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Sustainable procurement
- Emissions from business and academic travel
- Collaborations and partnerships
- Environmental impact and reporting data.
At its Sustainable Healthcare Showcase on 30 October NBT will mark five years since declaring a Climate Emergency and committing to the net-zero 2030 goal.
The event is a showcase of actions taken over the past five years, to inspire and motivate all staff to commit to practical actions within their workplace. A session on ‘Sustainable healthcare research’ will address delivering against the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.
Positive actions NBT has already undertaken to drive sustainable research include:
- Research & Development (R&D) including sustainability as one of the two founding principles of its research strategy. This underpins all decision-making across R&D.
- Requiring that a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) is completed for all internally funded Research grant applications. This encourages researchers and innovators to plan and carry out their activities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
- Working on overarching policy to ensure that sustainability is included in all policies and procedures.
NBT is aligned with the Healthier Together Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care System Green Plan, which acts as the Trust’s sustainability strategy.
In line with the concordat, NBT will report annual headline data on environmental impact and performance on its website, and will publish an annual summary of progress on the commitments of the concordat along with priority actions for the year ahead.
Research is a highly collaborative endeavour, so NBT R&D is encouraging collaborating research organisations to sign the concordat to increase the cumulative positive impact of signatories across the sector and promote good practice.
More information on Sustainable Development at NBT