Introduction

Climate change is a health emergency. As the world continues to heat up due to excess greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather events will become more frequent, and our climate will become more unstable. This is likely to contribute to a loss of places to live, alongside increased hunger, disease, and loss of life. Emissions and temperatures are continuing to rise due to human activity and we must act now to reduce our emissions and limit the negative changes they cause. Doing so can help protect our patients, and the rest of the world, from the devastating impacts of climate change.

Amethyst Radiotherapy UK is firmly committed to the principles of sustainability and recognises that its activities impact upon the environment through its routine operations, infrastructure development and wider stakeholder engagement.

Amethyst acknowledges a responsibility for, and commitment to, the protection of the environment at all levels.

In 2014 NHS England and Public Health England published their Sustainable Development Strategy for the Health and Social Care System 2014 – 2020.  In this document they described their vision of a sustainable health and care:

‘A sustainable health and care system works within the available environmental and social resources protecting and improving health now and for future generations. This means working to reduce carbon emissions, minimising waste & pollution, making the best use of scarce resources, building resilience to a changing climate and nurturing community strengths and assets.’

The strategy outlines the challenge to continually improve health and wellbeing and deliver high quality care now and for future generations within available financial, social and environmental resources.

This policy outlines procedures and responsibilities within Amethyst for environmental sustainability in line with this vision.‍

Purpose and Objectives

The NHS England Sustainable Development Unit describes how a sustainable health and care system is achieved by delivering high quality care and improved public health without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage.

Greenhouse gas emissions are broken down and reported under three different scopes. NHS England has grouped these into The NHS Carbon Footprint and The NHS Carbon Footprint Plus.

Amethyst acknowledges that its activities do have an impact on the environment. This policy provides a ‘statement of intent’ committing Amethyst to improve environmental performance.  We will ensure that effective environmental management and sustainable development becomes an integral part of our day to day activities, to reduce this impact as much as possible.

Amethyst recognises the importance of good environmental performance.  Key benefits will be to minimise the impact on local health, reduce pollution, achieve greater energy resilience, deliver cost savings and to contribute to a sustainable environment locally and nationally. This policy serves to indicate how issues concerning environmental sustainability should be managed within Amethyst.‍

Duties and Responsibilities

The Amethyst UK CEO holds overall responsibility for the organisation’s environmental sustainability policy.‍

Commitments

Collaborating with partner organisations as appropriate, Amethyst is committed to actively working towards achieving net zero carbon in scope 1 and 2 by 2035 and in scope 3 by 2045.

In order to achieve this a broad range of actions that must be undertaken, listed below:

 

Net Zero Procurement and Supply Chain (PSC)

We need to reduce the amount we consume per patient, reuse and remanufacture what we can and ensure that what we do use has minimal environmental impact. We also need to ensure our suppliers match our environmental ambitions. To achieve this we will:

• Ensure sustainability forms a greater part of our procurement decision making by encouraging suppliers and business partners to operate in an environmentally responsible manner and, where appropriate, make this a condition of any commercial relationship
• Promote a purchasing policy which favours those products and services which cause the least harm to the environment
• Implement changes to meet our commitment
• Minimise the amount we procure and use per patient
• Increase the number of products we reuse and remanufacture
• Offer our patients and staff more sustainable food

Net Zero, Estates, Facilities, Technology & Transport (EFTT)

As an organisation, we need to minimise the environmental impact of our buildings and the energy they use and maximise our use of any technology available to support these changes. We also need to limit the impact of transport emissions and pollution produced by our staff, patients and suppliers and recycle as much as possible. To achieve this we will:

• Reduce the direct emissions from our buildings to net zero by 2040
• Be reliant on 100% renewable electricity derived from the cleanest sources where we are the direct purchaser
• Maximise our onsite generation of renewable electricity where we are the direct purchaser
• Maximise our use of technology to reduce our emissions (e.g. using digital communication primarily).
• Actively try to reduce energy usage (e.g. using energy efficient light bulbs wherever appropriate, maintaining comfortable room temperatures when in use and switching off when not
• Implement waste management strategies to reduce overall waste production and increase the recycled component of the waste stream
• Minimise the number of carbon emitting journeys made by staff, patients and visitors
• Develop and maintain the grounds and buildings of the estate in an environmentally sensitive way, seeking to protect and enhance natural habitats and biodiversity

Net Zero Education and Engagement (NZEE)

Ensuring that staff are onside, understand the urgency of the situation, and support our programme is crucial to its success. Our patients must be kept informed of changes and we must work closely with other organisations if we are to deliver a successful programme. To achieve this we will:

• Embed sustainability objectives into governance structures
• Promote smaller, but more visible, team-based projects
• Ensure our staff and patients are kept informed of net zero progress, educated on sustainability matters, and know how they can get involved
• Seek to integrate a consideration of environmental issues into all relevant aspects of The Company’s activities
• To promote good practice in the conservation of natural resources and reduction of waste and pollutants
• Promote and raise awareness of good environmental management policies and practices among staff, patients and other stakeholders
• To monitor procedures and practices across Amethyst relating to compliance and performance against the environmental targets
• Report annually on Amethyst’s environmental performance
• Training staff on our environmental practices

Challenges to achieving net zero

Cultural barriers to change

To reach net zero, ways of thinking across our organisation will need to change. Sustainability, and considering the emissions impact of all activities and items used, will need to be a normal part of all our staff’s thinking.

Innovation

The world is in a race to invent new technologies that produce clean energy whilst being responsible for minimal levels of carbon emissions. We are likely to be reliant on this for our commitments to be realised.

Leased estates

All our estates are not directly owned by us but leased to us from the NHS or private landlords. We will need the support of our landlords to proceed with our planned changes.

Procedures

Amethyst will cooperate with any established procedures designed to implement the principles outlined.‍

Audit

Performance against the above commitments will be audited on an annual basis and reported to the Amethyst Board to ensure compliance and progress.

‍Amethyst expects each of its business functions, sites and employees to perform their duties within the context of our commitment to achieve high standards in environmental management and ensure the effective discharge of our responsibilities.

This carbon reduction plan has been signed off by the Amethyst UK CEO