We want our staff to take the lead in making healthcare more sustainable so we have created a number of ways for colleagues to get involved. Here are just a few:
To further explore the resources available visit the Newcastle Hospitals intranet page for sustainability, available here.
Send us your ideas
If you have an idea please get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Green Champions & Green Champions +
There is an extensive network of Green Champions across all levels and directorates of Newcastle Hospitals. Green Champions are supported with regular emails and news from the Sustainability Team, as well as a group chat forum enabling Green Champions to support each other and share questions, suggestions and best practice.
There is no mandatory level of time commitment to be a Green Champion, nor any level of training required. Green Champions are always the first staff members to be made aware of any training opportunities that arise, as well as all key sustainability team messages.
Green Champions + have completed the online training ‘Building a Net Zero NHS’ and have committed to attending CPD and meetings throughout the year to maintain their status. Green Champions + are expected to implement small sustainability projects in their areas of work such as improving recycling rates or holding a sustainability focussed lunch and learn session.
Please view these slides from a recent Green Champions Plus meeting for an idea of some of the work being driven by this group
Green Champions Plus SlidesIf you are already a Green Champion please print one of the posters and display on noticeboards in your area. You can also add this image to your email signature so your colleagues know you are a Green Champion!
Shine Rewards
We want to make being more sustainable both fun and rewarding. Shine Rewards is a staff benefits programme which rewards staff for saving energy, reducing waste, travelling sustainably and taking part in other sustainable actions. It is accessed through a bespoke website and app, exclusively for Newcastle Hospitals, and there are monthly prizes and team charity donations available.
Shine RewardsModel for Sustainability
We want to inspire, inform & empower departments to deliver sustainable healthcare.
This could mean:
- Producing a sustainability statement – Example from Clinical Research
- Having a named individual responsible for sustainability and a sustainability working group which meets regularly to drive forward improvements
- Identifying the main sustainability impacts arising from your activities, and working to reduce these impacts
- Creating an action plan and monitoring progress towards the aims contained within it
- Reporting progress and sharing success stories to inspire others
There is support available from the Sustainability Team to help departments embed sustainability – more information is available here
We can support you to establish a sustainability working group, help identify the main sustainability impacts of your activities and help you prioritise your activities.
We can also help you calculate the impact of any projects you implement, and share your good work by publishing your case studies on the intranet, in Green News and with other Trusts and interested parties
We will facilitate sharing of ideas, learning and progress to reduce duplication of work, and make it easier to translate success stories to other departments and even Trust-wide.
Training
The Advanced Programme for Sustainability Ambassadors and Climate Emergency for Managers training are just two of the training options made available by the Sustainability Team. Visit our training page for more information
Climate Emergency Action Fund
Sometimes sustainability projects require a small amount of funding to get them off the ground. Applications to our Climate Emergency Action Fund are welcome from any member of staff with a sustainability idea that they would like to try in their area of work. Links to the application form can be found on the intranet here.
Shine Award
If a project is shown to have made an impact on one of the key areas of sustainability it can be submitted for a Shine Award and added to our bank of case studies. Simply assess your project using our appraisal form and send us a case study. Email [email protected] for more details.