Herts NHS Environment Group
Health services are delivered in Hertfordshire by two PCTs, two Acute Trusts, one Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Children's Services Foundation Trust, within the County and one Ambulance Trust and one Strategic Health Authority which both cover the East of England. Between them, the various organisations employ some 15,000 staff, including over 300 consultants, more than 550 GPs and some 4,200 nurses.
Herts NHS Environment Group includes all major NHS organisations in Hertfordshire, has been in existence for almost five years and has achieved a great deal in that time, especially helping all Trusts to comply with the NHS sustainability requirements contained in Controls Assurance Standards. All the NHS organisations subscribe to the aims of improving the environment in which we live and work. Each NHS organisation is driven by the NHS Controls Assurance Standard for the environment which states "All tasks and processes that pose an environmental risk are managed to minimise any negative impact on the environment".
The Group has also helped individual NHS organisations undertake environmental improvements in their own workplaces which include recycling - many waste paper and cardboard schemes abound, waste control - compactors have been installed, and green transport - dual fuel vehicles are operating throughout Hertfordshire.
The Herts NHS Environment Group has produced a policy template for each individual organisation to use around Energy, Water, Procurement, Waste and Transport. Hertfordshire councils are working on an integrated transport system across the county which will have environmental gains for all the partners involved which includes the NHS, the County Council and District Councils.
The Group is a member of HEF, Hertfordshire Environment Forum and the benefits of HEF membership are already paying dividends; we have developed good links with County and District Council officers on various environmental projects. A recent example is a project working with the HEF Biodiversity Officer who is assisting with work to establish the biodiversity of wildlife and habitats around our sites, and putting forward an action plan to improve the environment for wildlife and plant species. The most recent project is a Herts County Council/NHS bid to HEF to employ consultants to examine the effects on climate change in Hertfordshire on health and social care in a wide context
We have energy managers in place across the county who are charged with making energy savings on an annual budget of approximately £6M. They will be producing baseline costs of energy used by each organisation, and these organisations will be using these energy champions to reduce the amount of energy used.
Many environment organisations have been invited to talk to the group, producing ideas, contacts and information that we can all use to reduce environmental risks across the NHS and we continue to strive to put into practice these ideas and measure and report the impact upon the environment.
The Primary Care Trusts are operating heating homes projects in conjunction with their local Councils such as "Warm Front" in St Albans, Harpenden, Welwyn and Hatfield which provides subsidies for insulation grants and other similar energy savings schemes.
The HEF Steering Group consists of local authority Councillors and NHS Non Executive Directors and the NED representing the Herts NHS for 2007 -2008 is Richard Henry of East and North Herts PCT, who also in his role as a Councillor for Stevenage Borough Council is the Chairman of HEF. Peter Wright, as Chairman of the NHS Group is a member of the HEF Executive. Representatives from the NHS Group regularly attend the HEF Group and contribute towards their aims and objectives, the NHS Group meetings are also open to local authority officers and councillors should they wish to attend.
Any person wishing to join the Group or receive details should contact Pam Laurence of Herts Partnership Foundation Trust.
Network contact: Pam Laurence, Pam.Laurence@hpft.nhs.uk, Tel. 01727 897008