A doctor is leading an emergency department’s mission to go green – with a number of ambitions set out for the team to meet.
James Tullie is a doctor in emergency care at the University Hospital of North Tees. Now, he is helping the service in its aim to have net zero carbon emissions.
The department will be a pilot site as part of a sustainability programme run by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
The service was added to the project after James, an emergency care specialist trainee medic, attended a national conference in October. He returned to the department with a vision for the initiative.
James said: “As a team, we are all passionate about playing our part in helping the organisation be as green as it can be.
“As one of the largest employers in the region, we all have a responsibility to do our bit and be more sustainable.
“We have already identified a number of areas where we can improve and have set up working groups to help make this a reality.”
The changes the team hope to make include:
- Going paperless
- Reducing the use of nitrous oxide by more than half
- Encouraging more virtual care and working.
- Increasing the use of renewable energy
- Having a biodegradable stream alongside a clinical, recycling and domestic stream
It also involves having a model of sustainable procurement. This includes reducing the use of single use plastic and cutlery and using more reusable personal protective equipment.
James added: “These are improvements that will help save time and money. But they will also improve the care we provide to our patients.
“These are ambitious aims. But it is important we should have this level of ambition so that we can make the changes we need to.”
Our green aims
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust is aiming to be have net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
To achieve this, the organisation is asking its staff to:
- Reuse and recycle more
- Use alternative transport
- Have a focus on sustainability in the workplace.
We have already recruited staff as green champions and have set out our commitment through a special ‘green plan’.
