Robert Rea, Head of Innovation at Scottish Healthcare Innovations Limited (SHIL) discusses the importance of encouraging green innovation within NHS Scotland and argues promoting sustainable healthcare is key to Scotland rising to meet its net zero challenge

Scotland is one of the global leaders paving the way for a sustainable future. With our abundance of natural resources, world-class research, academic and development facilities, and government backing, we are ideally placed to rise to the challenge of implementing NHS Scotland’s climate emergency and sustainability strategy.

COP26, held in Glasgow in November last year, had a significant impact on how the nation is looking to implement policy change in order to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard against climate change.

On the cusp of this, the long-awaited sustainability strategy for the NHS in Scotland was published and with it a challenging new target – to move to a net zero health service by 2040, bringing forward by five years the previous aim of 2045 opted for by other regions in the UK.

NHS Scotland plans involve working to modernise the estate, with all new buildings and major refurbishments designed to produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, as well as re-thinking some of its clinical practices ahead of the proposed new target.

The Scottish Government admits that there is a lack of consistency in existing data on the health service’s impact on the environment, covering everything from patient travel to waste disposal, as well as a ‘major gap’ in understanding the carbon footprint of the NHS supply chain. It is a challenge being faced by many organisations and sectors across the world but, clearly, these issues must be solved if the 2040 NHS Scotland target is to be met.

From this year then, all NHS Scotland boards will be required to report on emissions across key activity areas in annual progress reports, marking a step in the right direction.

The need for a more sustainably-focussed healthcare system has never been clearer, particularly amidst the amount of waste being generated by the covid-19 pandemic – a threat to both the environment and human health according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Indeed, the agency’s 71-page report found that most of the 1.5 billion medical items distributed by the UN in the first months of the pandemic ended up as rubbish, equivalent to the weight of 262,000 jumbo jets.

With that in mind, WHO is now calling for manufacturers to use more biodegradable materials and eco-friendly packaging and to reform how waste is disposed of globally.

For the NHS, that will mean a commitment to using sustainable products, long-term strategic projects such as net-zero hospital builds and improved net zero maintenance of existing buildings. The behaviours of NHS Scotland’s 160,000-strong workforce will also influence how the service mitigates and adapts to climate change impacts.

A call for ideas

Encouraging this diverse workforce to come up with new ways of working is vital and at Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) we are hoping to inspire forward-thinking new ideas with our current sustainability innovation call.

Open to NHS Scotland staff at all levels, our hope is that innovation generated from within the service can help usher in a greener era, while contributing towards hitting the 2040 net zero target.

Reusable PPE, such as visors, sanitiser bottles and launderable gowns, have all come on the back of the covid pandemic – but we need to continue fostering that mindset at all levels.

At SHIL we specialise in identifying and developing new ideas to help solve problems and address needs in health and social care. Helping NHS Scotland to adapt, develop, and strengthen in response to climate change is one of our key aims.

A more sustainable approach to healthcare is really being welcomed. We are already seeing individuals and teams across NHS Scotland proactively pulling together to analyse and embed new ways in which they can be more environmentally conscious on a daily basis.

Improving patient care has always been the primary objective of our innovation calls, but this is a really pivotal moment for the climate change agenda, and we want everyone across the health and social care system to be inspired to play their part. Our innovation call makes it easy for staff to get involved. Ideas are submitted online, and it is a simple process taking only around five to ten minutes.

All submissions are confidential and anyone across health and social care in Scotland can submit.

This bespoke approach aims to complement long-term strategic projects such as net-zero hospitals, improved maintenance of existing buildings, and review of supply chains. The Balfour Hospital and Healthcare Facility on Orkney is a prime example of a sustainable, fit-for-purpose healthcare facility. It is fully electric-powered, the prime heating source is electric heat pumps, with hot water provided via air-to-water heat pumps. Photovoltaic cells provide a feed-in-tariff benefit, the car park is equipped with vehicle charging points and all internal and external lighting has been designed to be as energy efficient as possible.

Delivering on the NHS Scotland sustainability strategy requires action on multiple fronts, and these are only a few pieces in a much larger puzzle that is required across NHS Scotland, including greater greenspace and biodiversity, more on-site recycling, and a wider need for innovation embedded in both clinical care and in organisational processes – all supported by a forward-thinking digital framework – if we are to address the full environmental impact of NHS Scotland.

At SHIL, we have worked in partnership with NHS Scotland since 2002 and, in that time, we have assessed more than 2,000 innovative ideas, resulting in the successful development and commercialisation of a range of medical devices, products and technologies; formation of seven spin-outs; negotiation of more than 25 UK and international commercial licence deals; and protection of more than 250 NHS inventions.

Maintaining excellence in healthcare remains the top priority, but that’s not to say that a choice needs to be made – our work at SHIL not only promotes innovation and achieving sustainable outcomes that aid NHS Scotland’s stride towards its net zero targets, but also simultaneously improves vital patient care and engenders lasting environmental and financial benefits.

For more information on how to submit ideas to meet SHIL’s innovation call, go to their website and click on 'submit your idea'.