Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s emergency department (A&E) has been awarded Bronze award status for the positive measures it is taking to lower carbon emissions and support the environment.
The award comes from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) and their new GreenED scheme. GreenED measures and reduces the environmental impact of emergency departments, helping to drive environmentally sustainable practices within the speciality of emergency medicine in the NHS.
The new status recognises the many steps which the team, based at the emergency department at Stepping Hill Hospital, have taken to ensure their services are more sustainable and lessen their carbon footprint. They have included reducing the use of gasses which harm the environment, and reducing the use of plastics and unnecessary testing.
Measures have included:
- reducing the use of plastic introducing reusable cups as opposed to single use
- reducing intravenous use of antibiotics and paracetamol
- increasing dry powder inhalers over gas inhalers
- becoming a penthrox only department, removing all nitrous oxide
- reducing the amount of unnecessary blood tests by looking at the indications and altering them
- looking into reusable equipment such as tourniquets and suture kits
- regular education of the emergency multidisciplinary team on sustainability efforts, initiatives and campaigns to include all interests.
They have also worked with local primary schools on a poster competition to help design messaging posters helping to spread the message that car ‘idling’ (running a stationary car engine) is both harmful and wasteful. The young designers won prizes, and the posters are now in place helping to ensure a cleaner environment both near the department and in other outside areas on the hospital site.
Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said; “I would like to congratulate the team at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust who have been awarded a Bronze accreditation through RCEM’s GreenED programme. Climate change is, of course, an existential threat to us all in the future. But in Emergency Medicine, we already see the impacts of pollution, extreme temperature and the state of the environment.
We have a duty to ensure our Emergency Departments are doing their part in tackling the climate crisis, and as a College we are proud to support clinicians to do just that. This reward reflects the hard work and innovation of the team at Stepping Hill Hospital who have worked to reduce emissions, waste and, ultimately, costs for the department.”
Dr Jennifer Lea, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Sustainability Lead for the Emergency Department said; “All our colleagues are very happy to see that our efforts to create a more environmentally friendly emergency department have been recognised with this award from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
It’s been an incredible experience to work with such a proactive team keen to make a significant step forward in sustainability. We will continue with our efforts in this area and look forward to working to achieving the next level in the scheme.”
