For those interested, this means engaging more deeply with the clean technology procurements themselves – procurements of sustainable and energy-efficient solutions, such as LED lighting and solar PV. We need to go beyond mere target setting for climate mitigation to be able to effectively serve the NHS and the public sector.

Over £100 million of green technology transactions have been processed for UK public bodies since 2021, and procurement frameworks have enabled access to fundamental clean technology upgrades. These include implementing smart LED lightning systems that adjust brightness based on the time of the day and occupancy as well as building upgrades for energy efficiency. Engaging early with procurement frameworks is a key action for estates and facilities teams to focus on, as this will significantly reduce the time and effort required to identify, evaluate, and implement green technologies.

The public sector and NHS deal with increasingly complex projects. From £20million solar farm installations through to national LED deployments, these complex projects require specialised skills and funding. This is where procurement frameworks provide much needed structure for sourcing green technologies and act as a springboard to accelerate delivery, for example, public bodies can move from piloting LED rollout to scaling-up through a direct award.

Estate and facilities managers can also seek support with contract development and agreement to ensure the project meets the requirements set within the direct award parameters defined as part of the framework. This will also help a project to be processed promptly as well as deliver savings. According to London Borough of Waltham Forest for instance, “the energy saving LED lightbulbs use less electricity than traditional incandescent light bulbs, with the improvements expected to shave off around 7% off the Council’s annual energy bills.”

Looking beyond strategic clean technology procurements, addressing the current challenges of capability, capacity and efficiency will require workforce development, skills building and careful fiscal management. Through framework procurement we can unite supply chain experts with NHS client teams, for example, to jointly execute on clean technology projects. Only through a well thought-out and collaborative approach can we ensure the continued delivery of high-quality healthcare services while advancing sustainability objectives.

With the Budget expected October 30^th and the new Procurement Act set to come into force in February 2025, it is a time of change for the public sector, its capital works programme and procurement processes. Amidst the change, we must not take our eye off the prize. Namely, in the UK, the public sector provides the size and scale of energy and climate projects that are needed to boost British supply chains to make every UK home net zero. Better hospital, school and local authority buildings will mean better outcomes for us all.

Clean technology procurements are different from procuring stationery or purchasing digital and telecoms solutions. With informed procurement support from clean technology experts, our public health system can be focused on doing what it does best – delivering high-quality healthcare services. Working together in this way, we can procure effectively for net zero.

And finally, the transition to net zero in the public sector also presents an opportunity for innovation and collaboration between various stakeholders. By fostering partnerships between public bodies, private sector companies, and research institutions, we can accelerate the development and implementation of novel clean technologies. These collaborations could lead to the creation of pilot projects that test cutting-edge solutions in real world settings, such as energy-positive buildings or advanced waste-to-energy systems.

Moreover, such initiatives could serve as valuable case studies, providing insights and best practices that can be scaled across the entire public sector. This approach not only supports the UK’s decarbonisation goals but also positions the country as a global leader in sustainable public infrastructure, potentially opening up new export opportunities for green tech firms.

About the author

Olivia Matei is a Procurement and Framework Coordinator at Lexica. Her focus in coordinating the Lexica Frameworks is on managing these strategic clean technology procurements with compliance and a keen eye for detail.

The post Clean Technology Procurements – More than just a Route to Market appeared first on .

In October 2020, the government took the first steps to address this by introducing the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. In order to meet the scheme’s aims of cutting public building emissions by 75% by 2037, ministers have allocated over £400 million as part of phase 3. This increased budget will be utilised to decarbonise 144 public sector bodies within England, with some examples being schools, leisure centres and, critically, hospitals.

The NHS has already pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 80% by 2032, with a view to becoming the world’s first carbon net-zero national health system. However, healthcare in England is still responsible for around 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. If the average car produces around one tonne of CO2 for every 2,500 miles, the health service’s annual footprint is equal to around 20 million cars driving from John o’ Groats, at the very tip of Scotland, all the way to Sicily, at the very bottom of Italy.

Of this total footprint, healthcare buildings themselves contribute 15% of the NHS’s emissions. This not only impacts its emissions but its resources, too. Altogether, the organisation spends an ever-increasing half a billion pounds on energy each year—money that could instead go towards training doctors, hiring nurses, and meeting critical patient care. A rethink is needed to create more sustainable hospital buildings that will both drive down energy costs and help the NHS comply with net zero targets, without compromising its care. The NHS is incredible at saving lives—but can it help us save the planet, too? Let’s take a look.

Addressing complex requirements across estates

First, managers need to be able to identify which sites need modernising, and what areas can be improved to provide immediate benefit. Enhancements to healthcare clinics aren’t as simple as standard buildings: NHS hospital trusts have very complex and specific utility requirements, such as the critical need for reliable power, similarly reliable heat and ventilation for the comfort and care of patients which have dramatic effect on patient stay times and experience. So, facilities management teams must have access to analytics and software that monitors and regulates patient care alongside energy usage.

Building software platforms offer a suite of analytical services. They provide real-time insights into a building’s operations by consistently tracking the performance of systems and appliances. So, plugging this software into all aspects of a hospital is a crucial step in its decarbonisation roadmap. It helps leaders to automate and centralise energy and sustainability data collection, establish and track carbon, water, and waste footprints, streamline reporting, and access and apply data insights with confidence. This way, leaders can measure current performance, plan annual targets, and define future success. Plus, insights from the analytics will then help them to mobilise their next steps and well as realise resource benefits from condition based approaches.

Breathing new life into legacy infrastructure

The second phase of a hospital’s decarbonisation roadmap focuses on the deployment of physical solutions. Historically, healthcare facilities have used carbon-intensive, fossil-fuel-based energy to power heating, transportation, and building requirements. So, hospitals need to replace systems, like gas-powered heating and petrol transport, with newer and cleaner alternatives, like electric heat pumps and vehicles.

Building-wide electrification then allows hospitals to solely use energy from renewable sources, which is not only more sustainable but also increasingly cost-effective. Trusts can purchase this energy from external providers, or even produce it themselves. Generating renewable power, such as via solar panels, and then integrating it with microgrid technology further supercharges a hospital’s energy resilience, sustainability, and efficiency. Leaders can even also new revenue streams by storing and selling any excess electricity back to the grid during peak demand—maximising resources that can be rerouted to patient care.

A forensic understanding of the built environment

Finally, the installation of a modern building management system (BMS) is key to maintaining a safe, efficient environment for both patients and staff. Many hospitals already employ a BMS, but newer, advanced systems unify power consumption, low-energy lighting, microgrids, electric vehicle charging, IoT, and more, all to be controlled by a single system giving the user the right information in one place.

The system will monitor the building and flag any inefficiencies or faults. Then, managers can make improvements themselves, or even automate the software to address them, transforming visibility and control over a hospital’s footprint. Equally important is the ability to report on the building’s progress. Patients, employees, and particularly the government are becoming increasingly strict and conscious of sustainability. A centralised BMS helps management to quickly and easily publish accurate, watertight data on the hospital’s performance, ensuring compliance with the latest low-carbon requirements.

Healthcare and the climate crisis are inextricably linked

Climate change isn’t simply driving the rate and risk of severe environmental disasters. It’s also threatening human health and access to care. Currently, hospitals worldwide are stuck in somewhat of a catch-22—the emissions they produce through caring for people today are then likely to harm humans further down the line.

The good news is that there is a wealth of opportunity to instigate meaningful change. The introduction of new technologies ensures that every decision made across estates is data driven. Downtime is significantly reduced and decision-making processes are streamlined when facilities managers are able to harness tools to monitor energy usage in real time. The facts speak for themselves: one NHS trust reported a 30% reduction in energy use after HVAC optimization alone. For action to happen across the entire healthcare industry, it will require genuine commitment to the well-being of patients and the planet. As the NHS looks to meet ambitious net zero targets, all that we’ve achieved so far must only be the start of industry-wide change.

By Kas Mohammed, VP of Digital Energy, Schneider Electric UK&I 

The post Meeting Net-zero Targets doesn’t mean the NHS must Sacrifice Patient Standard of Care appeared first on .

Creating Rituals for Well-Being Drugs

Pharmaceutical medicine has historically been lacking the rituals that often accompany wellness practices. This absence not only affects patients’ ability to remember and adhere to medication schedules but also contributes to the clinical perception of drugs. By integrating rituals into the consumption process, brands can create behaviour changes that prioritise sustainability and positive habits. The challenge lies in determining what this new delivery mechanism could look like and how it can bridge the gap between social constructs associated with well-being practices and pharmaceutical medication.

Incorporating Social Constructs

Well-being practices are often associated with positive experiences, shared knowledge, aesthetics, pleasure, sensorial experience and openness, whereas traditional medication is commonly linked to illness, loneliness and stigma. If it is common to see people take supplements from colourful bottles in public, it is rare to see people get their medication out of their bags and take it in front of others. Shame and stigma prevent them from doing so. But what if we could implement the very rituals used in well-being practices, such as bringing in the idea of togetherness, sensorial experience and pleasure into medical consumption? Should taking medicine be devoid of all pleasure or can pleasure be used sensibly to reinforce compliance and remove stigma? Medicine is the last

Leveraging social media platforms and influencers who openly discuss their experiences with medication and illness to break down barriers and normalise the conversation surrounding drugs can also be transformative. However, establishing trust and accurate information is crucial and collaborating with mental and healthcare experts will help to provide reliable sources of information, ensuring accurate knowledge dissemination.

Products and rituals that can help

• Patches

Patches offer a discreet and stigma-free method of drug delivery, seamlessly integrating into one’s daily life. They eliminate the need for physical pill packets and provide a more sustainable alternative. Smoking and nicotine patches are already popular on the market helping people stop smoking by administering a steady level of nicotine into the body and lessening withdrawal. But patches could be more widely used to administer a variety of medications too.

• Smoothies

Incorporating medications into smoothies or other tasty beverages can create a positive association with consumption, making individuals feel good about taking care of their well-being and health. Medication could be delivered to patients in a powdered form, allowing easy incorporation into the smoothie or drink and making the daily experience of taking medication much more pleasurable.

• Digital Reminders/Trackers

Utilising digital platforms for tracking health and vitality can help individuals monitor their well-being and receive timely reminders for medication intake. These trackers also enable healthcare providers and patients to assess medication effectiveness. Trackers like the Apple Watch can use rewards and gamification to motivate individuals to complete their course of treatment. Additionally, collaborating with external brands to offer incentives, such as vouchers or discounts, can further enhance adherence.

• Convenience and Portability

More generally, medications need to be redesigned to fit seamlessly into people’s lifestyles, which will increase accessibility and encourage consistent consumption. Portable pill packs, organized by day, for instance, can be easily carried in pockets or bags. If pill administration has been highly regulated for safety purposes, particularly with child-proof technology in mind, pill packs can be redesigned to still fit the safety requirements and better fit into people’s daily lives. An example would be creating containers formed by compressing medical-grade steel, made compatible with auto-dose appliances that can store and dispense the right medication at the right time while including safety measures that do not require mere strength and dexterity but rather the need for adult-sized hands. By using structural design, transportation can be simplified, creating containers that can easily be linked together, making them space efficient. These containers could further be designed to only be disassembled using a specialised tool for cleaning, adding an extra layer of protection against tampering.

Promoting Sustainability

Rituals in medicine can also contribute to sustainability efforts. Current pill packs are often made of plastic, leading to environmental damage. Brands can transition to durable and sustainable packaging materials, ensuring that medication consumption aligns with individuals’ values of environmental responsibility. By making sustainability a part of the ritual, taking medication can become an act of service to both personal well-being and the planet.

Driving Behavioral Change in Patients

Challenges like the non-adherence to medication courses can be addressed through the establishment of new habits driven by desire rather than necessity. By making medication consumption more pleasurable, convenient, and contextually normal, brands can transform it into a positive experience that individuals actively want to engage in. This shift from perceiving medication as a burden to something enjoyable and constructive can help drive behavioural change and promote better adherence.

Challenges for Brands

Brands may encounter several obstacles in their pursuit of creating ritualistic formulas for pharmaceutical drugs, particularly when it comes to regulations in the medical space. However, breaking established thought patterns within the healthcare industry and regulatory frameworks is essential to foster innovation and explore new solutions. Balancing the seriousness and safety of medications to turn them into desirable products will require careful consideration.

Introducing rituals into the consumption of well-being drugs holds significant potential to drive behavioural change and improve adherence. By incorporating elements of social interaction, convenience, sustainability, and pleasure, brands can transform medication consumption from a clinical process into a meaningful and sustainable ritual. With the right combination of innovative delivery mechanisms, collaboration with trusted experts, and a focus on patient-centred experiences, pharmaceutical brands can empower individuals to embrace their well-being while effectively managing their medication routines.

By Nick Dormon, Managing Director at brand design and innovation agency, Echo

The post Ritualising Medication Consumption: Transforming Medication Intake through Social and Habitual Delivery Mechanisms appeared first on .

Decarbonising the healthcare industry is a pressing and complex challenge, but technology can be used to strive for more sustainable goals. By incorporating technology in the supply chain focusing on designing healthcare products and technology with sustainability in mind, and on supporting home treatments, the healthcare industry can reduce its carbon emissions significantly.

Decarbonising the supply chain

Healthcare provider supply chains have the biggest overall impact on healthcare services emissions, through the production, transport and disposal of products and services, medical devices and equipment. While healthcare systems do not control supply chain emissions directly, they can help decarbonise them by taking an end-to-end view of the value chain, making supplies an integrated part of sustainability efforts. The commercial relationships and agreements with the supply chain actors are key levers to drive sustainability ambitions in healthcare.

To improve their environmental and sustainability goals, care providers should invest in technology so that they can accurately capture supply chain data. Using supply chain data can help to understand issues, prioritise initiatives and enable improved decision making (including understanding the consequences of requesting changes to supply chains).

Making use of the digital twin – a virtual model of a physical object or process – is also going to become crucial in achieving more sustainable ambitions in healthcare. By combining the digital twin with supply chain data management, supply chains can be modelled in real-time. Virtual twins can thus help by allowing the healthcare industry to design, test and simulate new and more sustainable products and processes much faster and completely virtually, thus significantly speeding up time to market and reducing risk. Above all, the virtual twin will also support the shift to a more circular economy, where products are designed to enable repurposing and reuse whilst reducing waste from the product’s lifecycle.

Sustainable strategies

Minimising products’ negative environmental effects at the end of their lives by designing them for disassembly and recyclability will also become crucial to achieving sustainability ambitions in healthcare. Single-use products will always be needed due to the hazardous nature of healthcare waste and the need for infection control. However, the industry will need to reach a point where certain components of the products can be reduced, reused or recycled, particularly components that do not come into contact with the human body.

Hospitals that partner with medical device companies can also reprocess some of the single-use medical devices they typically discard. Cardinal Health, for example, developed a zero-waste operation in partnership with healthcare organisations to reprocess or recycle single-use devices. In 2017, they diverted more than 740 tons of used medical devices from landfills through these partnerships. Kaiser Permanente reportedly saves around $11 million per year by reprocessing certain single-use devices.

Some currently labelled single-use products can also have a much longer viable life cycle. Medical instruments such as trocars, blood pressure cuffs or disposable medical scissors can be retrieved by reprocessing companies who collect, sort, clean, disinfect, test, sterilise and return thousands of devices to medical facilities, which can also reduce costs in comparison to having to invest in new products. The reprocessed equipment gives medical facilities greater flexibility to manage their supply chain while being just as safe and efficient as the original products. Keeping medical products in use for as long as they are functional before disposing of them will therefore lessen the enormous amount of medical waste generated every day and drive a more circular economy. Developing certain technology can help in this by creating sorting processes that quickly identify which elements can be recycled or reprocessed.

Care at home and digital health

Increasing the use of digital tools, software, virtual assistance and wearables, will also maximise the value of technological healthcare while minimising resources. Wearables such as the Viscero ECG Vest created by the team of designers and engineers at PA Consulting, for example, allow for non-intrusive, non-invasive monitoring of the heart at home, without the constant aid of a healthcare professional. This gives people the ability to feel empowered to monitor their well-being daily with a user-friendly and preventative solution. With the help of wearables like the Viscero ECG Vest, patients will be able to receive the same quality of care from their homes, reducing the need to come into resource-intensive healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment. The shift from hospitalisation to homespitalisation will not only help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from patient travel but also in reducing the number of resources used in medical facilities.

Because prevention is always preferable to cure, healthcare technology must now also focus on addressing one of the most urgent problems of our time: how to age better. Digital solutions, like at-home monitoring devices, can help by heading off health issues before they develop into more long-term diseases or conditions. By using monitoring technology such as health trackers or ECG vests, healthcare professionals will be able to build data from people at risk to detect signs of an emerging condition and will be able to provide treatment before the condition becomes more difficult to manage. Monitoring technology thus has the potential to reduce the healthcare cost burden and need for expensive medical procedures and resources later on in the patient’s journey.

True sustainability for the system and the patient

Implementing technology that reduces both the healthcare and patients’ carbon footprints will help to fight the climate crisis, improve industry sustainability, and enhance healthcare by improving the patient experience. However, in order to accelerate the transition to more sustainable healthcare and strive for Net Zero, healthcare technology (from wearables, to supply chain management technology) will need to be designed with a great understanding of both healthcare professionals and patients in mind, to develop sustainable solutions embedded effortlessly into people’s everyday lives.

By Eugene Canavan, Medical Design expert at PA Consulting

The post Using Technology to Achieve Sustainability Ambitions in Healthcare appeared first on .

Urgent adoption of point of care diagnostics in primary and community care is essential if the NHS is to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s first net zero health service. Of the four approaches to reducing carbon emissions named in the report, the new technology would enable the NHS to achieve three: bringing care closer to home, faster diagnosis and reduced interventions.

“Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service” estimates that 14% of NHS emissions relate to road travel and suggests unnecessary journeys should be reduced. This could be achieved if patients didn’t have to make three trips: first to a clinical appointment, then to a blood test and back to the clinician once the test results are back from the lab. Rapid point of care diagnostics allow a clinician to assess a patient, perform a test, get results within minutes and start treatment – all in one appointment. A fast track to treatment means a better outcome for the patient and, by cutting unnecessary journeys, a better result for the planet.

As well as fewer journeys, patients should now be making shorter ones. Multiple tests are available on just one compact diagnostic platform, making it ideal for use in GP surgeries, pharmacies and even patients’ own homes. It can be brought into care homes, to enable timely treatment of the frail and critically ill, and into at-risk communities to reduce inequalities through early diagnosis. Only 4% of GPs would choose the hospital as the preferred location of testing compared to 46% for the GP surgery, 18% a community hub, 15% a patient’s home and 12% the pharmacy.

Most GPs perceive improved quality of care to be the top benefit of point of care diagnostics, while others reference the fast turnaround of results, enhancement of clinical decision making and a reduction in escalations to secondary care. With the vast majority of GPs persuaded of the benefits, I hope to see a dramatic shift next year in favour of lab-comparable testing in the community. It has a vital role to play in delivering the preventative, cost efficient and carbon neutral health service of the future.

By Dr. Matt Fay, GP and Medical Director of LumiraDx

The post Point of Care Testing must be Adopted as Standard if the NHS is to Deliver ‘Net Zero’ appeared first on .

Sustainable Healthcare Products

Of course, amid a pandemic or other dramatic increase in demand, health systems must acquire more supplies to deliver care. The unprecedented spike in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) seen during COVID-19 is just one example. But the exponential increase in the use of plastics (a core ingredient for many forms of disposable PPE) shows how a health crisis can result in the unintended reversal of sustainability practices, ultimately increasing waste.

While it is undeniable that demand will shift during a global health crisis, the healthcare industry needs to be more judicious in its use of products. For example, one study found that if the healthcare industry were to convert to reusable gowns, it could see 28% lower natural resources consumption, 41% less blue water consumed and 93% less solid waste generation.

The healthcare supply chain can support global sustainability efforts by making some adjustments to common industry practices – and this work is already underway. For example, historically, clinicians have preferred disposable to reusable isolation gowns.  To overcome this, some hospital supply chain leaders are collaborating with clinicians and local manufacturers to design reusable gowns that are both more user friendly and environmentally sustainable. At its core, an efficient and effective supply chain aims to ensure the right resources are available, when and where they are most needed. However, there is no reason why we can’t ensure the products being provided are also sustainable and ethically sourced, while reducing waste.

The Role of Data and Automation

While widespread use of reusable PPE could still be years away, one way to improve sustainability by reducing waste right now is through technology. Thanks to improved data collection and automated processes, inventory can be managed more effectively across the supply chain and seamlessly implemented within existing operations and systems.

By better understanding inventory levels and usage, supply chain leaders can better align purchasing and inventory to demand and reduce the amount of product that expires before it is used.   Investment in inventory management to document product utilization also has additional benefits, from preventing an expired or recalled product from being used in patient care to supporting case cost accounting.  Further, automated stock replenishment reduces manual work, allowing healthcare workers to spend more time on patient care, and ensuring products are available when needed.  With such tools, frontline staff are equipped with handheld scanners to digitally record when materials are used – from PPE to higher-grade consumables such as implantable devices. This information is then transmitted wirelessly to a centralized digital database. This allows for an automatically generated report to ensure patient records are accurate and inventory records are up to date, facilitating more accurate replenishment cycles.  As a result, hospitals and trusts can deliver better results for their patients while keeping their bottom lines healthy.

The pandemic accentuated the importance of data’s role in healthcare and now procurement teams need to continue focusing on collecting, maintaining and properly analysing reliable, reproducible, and secure data. The more accessible, accurate and real-time data and insights become, the better the results, leading to faster and more accurate decision-making, reduced waste, lower costs and an improved standard of care.

Sharpening Supply Chain Visibility

Another critical factor in improving the healthcare supply chain’s sustainability is providing greater visibility across the entire end-to-end supply chain, from point of manufacture through to patient care.  By gathering data from providers and suppliers – and sharing data between parties, we can better understand how to optimise the system and uncover the unintended consequences of certain decisions on our environment so they may be avoided in future.  By sharing data, trading partners can work collaboratively to understand demand and address supply shortages.  In order to support best practices such as collaborative planning, planning and forecasting, all parties should use the same standard identifiers, such as Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), to ensure everyone is identifying products in the same way.  This is also a key foundation to enabling more supply chain and inventory management automation and minimize manual and often error prone work.

Thanks to sharpened supply chain visibility, suppliers and providers are able to address potential problems in real time with increased agility to ensure accurate decision-making and reduced waste. By enabling providers and suppliers to view information on existing inventory levels and consumption in real-time, they can understand when goods will arrive, and take steps if necessary to find alternate products due to backorders.  This increased visibility into complex supply chains translates to fewer disruptions, increased customer satisfaction and lower costs overall.

Better leveraging data and improving end-to-end visibility are initial steps healthcare can take to improve sustainability in the near-term, but there are opportunities to affect positive change for the long-term. For instance, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation-driven initiatives such as the integration of real-time stock tracking through handheld scanners could be the next logical step for hospitals looking to avoid unforeseen shortages thanks to the ease of implementation. The use of AI and automation can also help power predictive analytics within the healthcare supply chain, using historic and real time data to better understand where and when there will be spikes in demand for PPE, for example, may occur. This information can be used to alert manufacturers to a potential increase in demand before it occurs and, in some advanced cases, automating manufacturing and procurement processes to seamlessly increase the amount of materials being created and ordered. In a nutshell, predictive analytics can take the data and automated processes and use them to ensure the risk of demand outstripping supply can be mitigated without generating excessive waste.

As we begin to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, now is the time to reconsider how the healthcare supply chain is structured and supported technologically. This requires understanding the total impact of a product from production to use and giving more consideration to how increased demand for products can lead to more waste if they can’t be reused safely and effectively. Supply chain and logistics professionals should look to data, automation and AI technologies to help facilitate sourcing sustainable products and ensuring these products are available in sufficient quantities, when and where they are most needed.

By Karen Conway, vice president, Healthcare Value, Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX)

The post How can the Global Healthcare Supply Chain Become More Sustainable? appeared first on .

On 7 October 2021 (14:00–17:00 CEST), the International Hospital Federation and Dialog Health will host a special virtual event for leaders of the global healthcare community, to share their stories about developing innovative practices for a sustainable future.

Hospital and healthcare professionals are at the forefront of the fight against climate change, which is at risk of becoming the biggest public health threat of our generation:

• If the world’s healthcare sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of carbon emissions on the planet.
• Medical professionals have identified climate change from carbon emissions as the ‘biggest global health threat of the 21st century’. (The Lancet, Commission on Climate Change, 2009)
• Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause more than 250,000 additional deaths per year.

The keynote speaker at the event is Dr. Satoru Komatsumoto, Emeritus Director of Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, which is Japan’s first green hospital (https://youtu.be/KTiCvR3WOiw). Dr. Komatsumoto will share his insights into designing a resilient hospital:

“16 years ago, I proposed that our hospital should be eco-conscious. I wanted to create a hospital that would be beautiful and that would organically integrate all the features to meet the challenges of the future… I wondered what kind of hospital would meet the needs of our time. I studied very hard to imagine a next generation hospital.”

The program also includes speakers from Europe and the USA sharing strategies to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, sustainable food circuits and building a carbon-neutral hospital, plus dedicated time for small group discussions with the experts to explore innovative ideas.

Find out more about the Green Hospitals event at https://e-journeys.com/ihf-webconference-green-hospital

The post International Virtual Event Promoting Sustainable, Green Hospitals appeared first on .

Three companies will initially take part in the programme. Dignio provides an integrated care platform connecting patients and healthcare professionals, Automedi, a sustainable 3D printer and Patients Know Best provides a digital personal health record.

Commissioned by West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership and delivered by Yorkshire & Humber AHSN, the Propel@YH Net Zero pilot programme will allow all three companies access to a structured course of bespoke support and advice around the environmental sustainability of their products.

All of the organisations selected have sustainable or ‘green’ innovations or have existing products that can support the NHS’ ambition of having ‘net zero’ emissions by 2040 and which is set out in its report ‘Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service’.

Kathy Scott, Deputy Chief Executive at the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN commented, “Innovation is all about change and if we are going to address this massive issue, we need to bring about change in the way we think and operate. The AHSN is perfectly positioned to support the drive for environmental sustainability at every stage and every level and support the development and uptake of innovations that support this crucial agenda.

“All three of the selected companies offer innovative green solutions to help the NHS achieve its target of reaching net zero by 2040 and we will work closely with them to enable them to bring their innovative green solutions to the region.”

Dignio is a digital integrated care platform that connects both patients and healthcare professionals, providing virtual remote care. It is patient-focused and empowers the user to self-manage their condition with the support from healthcare professionals.

Ewa G Truchanowicz, Managing Director of Dignio in the UK said on the announcement, “We are really pleased to have been selected for this innovative project. The Dignio Integrated Care Platform has the potential to radically change healthcare in the UK. Digital solutions, like ours, are not only helping the NHS in reducing costs but also able to help it reach its net zero target.”

Frank Swinton, Climate Change Lead for West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership commented on the new green accelerator, “Climate change and health are intricately linked in that they both affect one another in a circular fashion. It is therefore imperative that we work to break the cycle and ensure that our health and social care services are as environmentally friendly as possible going forwards.

“This scheme is a great way to help innovators bring their green med solutions closer to being everyday tech that is used across the sector and we’re delighted to be able to offer this programme in West Yorkshire and Harrogate where we aspire to being global leaders in our response to climate change.”

The post Innovative Companies Selected for Green Accelerator Programme to Help Tackle the NHS’ Carbon Footprint appeared first on .