Positively Green

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…

The World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW, 18-24 November) is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of AMR and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. AMR is also an environmental issue: AMR and climate change are two of the top health emergencies and can be considered as two interlinked public health priorities.

UHP are now stocking locally sourced sandwiches with compostable packaging, a greener choice for our patients!

Within the Emergency Care Building programme, the Trust’s social value lead Sharon is working closely with our Emergency Care Building construction partner, Willmott Dixon, on joint social value projects (under their commitments in the original tender) which will increase training, employment, benefit the local community and help us achieve some of our sustainability goals.

Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 to 15 October) is a week for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together to remember and commemorate our much-loved and missed babies. UHP is no exception to this annual reflection and are pleased to be able to offer the newly refurbished garden outside The Snowdrop Baby Bereavement Unit to families who need it.

The Sustainability Team are super excited to celebrate the launch of our Green Impact Programme! Green Impact is a sustainability accreditation programme for staff and students that rewards sustainable action within departments and teams. Teams from across the Trust are invited to form and work through our online toolkit to implement positive sustainability changes, and work towards an award. By taking part, staff can learn more about sustainability, lead on something outside of their day-to-day role, develop new skills, and make a real positive impact on sustainability. 

It’s that time of year again! We have refreshed our Annual Sustainability Report 2024/2025 to incorporate the work completed this year and our plans for the next.