Setting up a Sustainability Executive Committee
An NHS Green Plan is a Board-approved document outlining the organisation’s aims, objectives, plans and priorities for improving their local and global environmental and socio-economic impacts.
In order for the Green Plan to achieve its full impact there needs to be buy-in across the trust. As a clinician you could have a key role in this through shaping how your trust implements and oversees this process. One of the ways to do this would be to ensure that your trust sets up a Sustainability Executive Committee that has key members across the trust that could oversee the implementation and reporting of the Green Plan.
How your Sustainability Executive Committee structures will look will depend on how your trust usually runs. We have included some general guidance based on our experience. In general, a successful sustainability forum will involve the following:
- Should meet at least twice a year
- Leadership and overall oversight from an executive trust board member
- Someone who is in charge of the overall logistics and reporting, usually the sustainability officer
- Prescribe clear roles and responsibilities for forum members
- Include representative across Estates, Transport, Procurement, Human Resources, Service Users, Quality Improvement and Clinical (nursing, psychology, medical, occupational therapy)
- Engages and empowers all staff to get involved and create change
The Green Plan Sustainability Executive Committee could have an impact in the following ways:
- Work across the trust to reduce unnecessary travel, waste and energy use
- Connect with local care resources to better support people in the community
- Improve staff wellbeing and therefore job satisfaction, retention and reduce burn out rates through improving hospital environments, the quality and sustainability of hospital food, or investing in learning opportunities
Exemplar SDMP Sustainability Executive Committee with roles and responsibilities
| Attendee | Role and responsibilities | Contribution to SDMP | SDMP Module |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Director | Chair and key influencer | Reviewer | Corporate Approach |
| Non-executive Director | Vice-Chair and key influencer | Reviewer | Corporate Approach |
| Sustainability Director/officer | Operational lead | Main author of SDMP report | Carbon / GHGs, however would have overall responsibility for all the modules |
| Estates and Facilities officer | Green spaces, travel and energy use | Reporting on reductions in emissions from buildings and travel and improving active travel options | Asset Management & Utilities, Travel and Logistics, Adaptation, Capital Projects |
| Procurement officer | Sustainable procurement | Reporting on lines of procurement and reducing cf associated. Introduction of recycling schemes for furniture etc | Sustainable use of Resources |
| Human Resources director |
|
Reporting on recruitment, retention and staff wellbeing | Our People |
| Medical director |
|
Reporting on care models, QI projects, staff training and development | Green Space & Biodiversity, Sustainable care models, Our People |
| Nursing director |
|
Reporting on care models, QI projects, staff training and development | Green Space & Biodiversity, Sustainable care models, Our People |
| Allied Health Practitioner Lead (occupational therapy/ psychology/ health support worker) |
|
Reporting on community projects/partnerships | Green Space & Biodiversity, Sustainable care models, Our People |
| Charitable funds- ie representative from an associated charity | Funding of sustainable initiatives | ||
| IT | Electronic communications | ||
| Pharmacy Lead | Reducing waste in prescribing | Reporting on prescribing and medicine waste | Sustainable use of Resources |
| Psychiatry Trainee Rep |
|
Green Space & Biodiversity, Sustainable care models, Our People |