Stepping Hill Hospital’s restaurant had a visit from partners in sustainability as Stockport NHS Foundation Trust staff continued to make their pledge for a carbon neutral future. 

Representatives from Cycle Solutions, Water Plus and Stockport Council’s environmental team were on hand to share tips with trust staff on how they can play their part in making savings and reducing emissions.

The trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and community NHS services in Stockport, signed up several months ago to an online scheme run by ‘Do Nation’ which allows colleagues to make their own individual pledges stating how they reduce their carbon footprint, which in turn calculates the exact savings which will be made.

Pledges can include reducing electricity use, walking and taking public transport, and cutting down on eating meat, to take just a few examples. Since the scheme began, trust staff have made over 140 pledges saving more than 6000 kg of Co2, with many more still to come. The scheme also detects where in the trust an individual works, which means that individual teams and departments can compete to see who can make the biggest carbon savings. So far the Finance and Procurement team are in the lead, with Human Resources and Estates close behind.

The trust has been working with Cycle Solutions for several years to encourage the use of cycling for staff by offering reduced rates for the buying and hire of both e-bikes and conventional cycles. Since the scheme began in 2015, over 150 staff have obtained a bike through the scheme, helping to make a major reduction in car usage.

Last year, the trust started a new partnership with water retailer Water Plus for their water and wastewater services, who have provided checklists and guides to help identify areas where savings can be made. They’ve also received water efficiency packs to engage more with staff to increase awareness of where water waste could occur - and to improve on reporting on dripping taps or leaks across sites. On the day, Water Plus shared quizzes to engage staff on water use awareness and provided ‘shower-timers’ to help people to reduce their use of water when washing and save energy.  

In 2022, the trust launched its Green Plan, which included targets including reducing greenhouse emissions by 85% by 2032, a 75% cut in business travel emissions by 2030, and achieving a ‘net zero’ carbon footprint by 2040. With measures including staff pledges, the introduction of electric vans, walking aids recycling the trust is making good progress on its mission.

Rajni Sisodiya, Sustainability Manager for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said “It was fantastic to welcome our partners from Cycle Solutions, Water Plus and Stockport Council for our Sustainability Day so we could share more ideas about the best way we can all make carbon savings together. Our colleagues here at the trust have already made a really impressive number of pledges to cut down on their own emissions, and we’re looking forward to even more joining in and making their own pledges in the coming weeks and months.”