Transport, NHS Shared Business Services estimates, accounts for around 14% of the NHS’s annual carbon footprint. The main contributors are patient travel, business travel and staff commutes. Visitor travel is also an issue but produces less emissions.
The NHS has an overarching net-zero target for 2040 and, at that point, all owned, leased and commissioned vehicles will need to be zero-emission. There is also an ambition to reduce staff travel emissions by 50% between 2020 and 2030.
NHS Shared Business Services launched its new transport framework in the hopes of supporting NHS Trusts in implementing the physical infrastructure and supplier relationships they need to achieve these climate goals.
The framework exists to provide Trusts with a streamlined pathway to identifying and appointing reliable providers of genuinely low-carbon transport options.
It covers a range of providers including consultancies, logistics providers, cycling infrastructure firms, delivery partners and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure providers. Also covered are designers and builders of car parks with onsite solar, energy storage and built-in biodiversity features.
The framework was produced with input from experts in the NHS’s sustainability, estates and procurement teams.
NHS Shared Business Services’ senior construction specialist Anjub Ali summarised: “The NHS has set out ambitious goals en route to Net Zero 2040. Our framework agreement provides all NHS organisations with a convenient and compliant way of purchasing a wide range of sustainable transport services and infrastructure to help it get there.”
NHS England is notably aiming to reduce emissions associated with waste management by 80% by 2032.
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