Positively Green

The UHP  S ustainability team recently visited Stonehouse Ward for an event to  promote their Green Wards Initiative. Stonehouse are the first ward to sign up to  the initiative, which  aims to encourage wards across UHP to incorporate sustainable actions  into their everyday practice.  There are a range of actions that wards need to  meet   in order to   achieve ‘Green Ward Status ’ ,  with  successful wards being awarded with a plaque to display on or outside of their ward to promote their green credentials.

Have you seen the patient information QR code trees around Derriford Hospital? These innovative vinyl tree stickers are designed to replace the majority of the paper information leaflets given out in wards and departments, thereby reducing the paper and energy consumption of the department they're in. 

With the help of the Discovery Library on L5, the Sustainability team has set up a uniform swap shop in an effort to avoid waste and save staff money. Staff filled our swap shop with donated pre-loved and unworn uniforms after an amnesty was announced in the Daily Email. Kirsty and Sophie from the Sustainability team then organised the uniforms roughly based on size and role, a job that was taken on by the volunteers- Kirsty and Sophie are so grateful for this help!

Read all about the vast amounts of recycling that our Waste Management team has processed since mid-September 2025!

The Audiology team at UHP are leading the way in sustainable change with their recent approved switch to rechargeable hearing aid batteries. This innovative investment will hugely reduce the waste, expenditure and CO₂ emissions of the department!

Derriford Hospital’s Emergency Department has today been awarded a Silver accreditation, as part of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s (RCEM) GreenED programme .

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust will benefit from new funding to install clean energy upgrades, helping to reduce energy bills. 

Two weeks ago, the government announced that eighty-two NHS trusts, eight military sites and one prison will receive a share of £74 million to adopt clean energy technologies and improve their energy efficiency, helping to bring down bills and create savings that can be reinvested into frontline services. 

Over the past couple of months, the catering team at UHP has completely overhauled the patient food waste process in our ward kitchens. These changes help us to meet legal requirements, cut our carbon emissions, and support the NHS commitment to sustainability.

As part of UHP’s commitment to net zero by 2040, the Sustainability team regularly meet with different departments in the Trust to set up sustainable models of care. One of our most recent successes is our project with Facilities, Procurement and Infection and Prevention Management whereby a reusable curtain trial was set up in Hound ward, Stonehouse ward and in 3 treatment rooms on the Chestnut Unit.

A very merry Christmas to all our blog readers! As the year draws to a close, the Sustainability team have been reflecting on what happened in 2025 and what our plans for 2026 and beyond will be…