Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) wanted to deliver a joined-up green plan outlining their three-year strategy towards net zero for their newly formed Integrated Care System (ICS). We provided the support and expertise in sustainability, project management and design work to meet the ambitious timescales to produce a refreshed plan within three months.
Challenge
In October 2020 the NHS committed to becoming the world’s first net zero health service in the world by 2045. To achieve this, all trusts and ICSs were asked to publish green plans that included 3-year strategies outlining the first steps to achieving net zero. In line with this requirement, each NHS organisation within the BSW system developed their own three-year plan. However, a joined-up plan was needed to confirm common and collaborative actions and timelines across partner organisations. Due to tight timescales and ICSs being in the early stages of being officially formed, BSW reached out for our expertise and support to develop a green plan that would reflect the joint ambitions of the system.
Solution
To ensure an outstanding result, our project team conducted a desktop analysis to assess green plans from outside BSW to identify examples of the best-in-class to generate a set of possible requirements for the BSW Green Plan.
The team also assessed plans within BSW to look for 'the best in BSW' and developed system-level action plans and commitments. As part of the research, the team also met with primary care leads in Medicines Optimisation, Digital and Estates.
Three workshops were organised between April 2022 – June 2022 to engage sustainability leads and partners across BSW to build ownership and commitment around the system-level green plan. There was a gap of around 2-3 weeks between workshops to both allow time for green plan development, whilst maintaining a good pace.
The SCW graphics design team met the green plan specification to a high standard, producing a professional, web-based document with a fresh green aesthetic with BSW Together branding throughout, in short timescales.
We provided expertise in sustainability, project management and design work to meet the ambitious timescales to produce a refreshed plan within three months.
Impact
The final product was a BSW Green Plan outlining an approach to delivering sustainability across the priorities set out in delivering a Net Zero National Health Service. This includes considerations on estates, travel and transport, resource use, workforce and future care models, across the ICS health and care system.
The BSW Green Plan addresses the role BSW plays in tackling the climate health emergency, helping the ICS to meet their commitments to their local population.
The team within SCW had a genuine passion for both the work itself and the team we were working with. We successfully engaged sustainability leads and partners across BSW, chairing valuable discussions around joining up sustainability targets and net zero strategies to work towards the joint ambition of net zero health and care services.
This served to raise the profile of the net zero agenda in BSW and contributed to developing an understanding and support for this agenda at executive level.
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