We're excited to announce the launch of our new Green Plan for 2024-2027, which outlines how we will improve patient care while making our services more sustainable. This plan lays a clear roadmap to help us achieve our goal of becoming Net Zero by 2045.

Building on the success of our previous Green Plan, which saw a significant 20% reduction in carbon emissions since 2019/20, we are now focused on taking greater strides toward sustainability. Our commitment to enhancing patient services goes hand in hand with our responsibility to reduce our environmental impact.

Since 2021, we've already made a positive difference through initiatives such as reducing single-use plastic by 25 tonnes each year across services and reducing anaesthetic-related greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 700 tonnes a year which is roughly the same as a car would emit if driving 100 times around the world.

Sam Goss, Sustainability Lead at the Trust, said: "We understand the impact of climate change on the future health of our patients and local populations. It's essential that, as a healthcare provider, we limit the impact of our services on the environment as much as possible. We are focused on enhancing our services for everyone with the added benefit that they are more sustainable."

Over the next three years, the Trust will implement initiatives to make our care more environmentally friendly while improving patient experience. This includes exploring how we can deliver more care digitally and communicate with patients through digital platforms like the NHS App to reduce the need for paper resources. We'll also be working hard to cut down on single-use plastics across services and minimise food waste in our catering services, all to limit our environmental impact while providing the highest standard of care.

By 2027, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust aims to see :

  • A 15% reduction in building-related CO2 emissions
  • A 15% reduction in travel and transport-related CO2 emissions
  • Prescribing 25% more low-carbon inhalers
  • Reducing overall waste by 5%
  • Cutting food waste by 5%
  • Decreasing nitrous oxide emissions by 25%

We are committed to delivering safe, compassionate, joined up care in a way that's not only good for our patients but for the planet, too. Together, we can work towards a greener, healthier future.