Good news! Northampton General Hospital shortlisted for environmental award

Northampton General Hospital has been shortlisted for the Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2020 HSJ Awards, recognising their outstanding contribution to healthcare.

Despite the tough competition, the hospital was shortlisted from more than 1,000 entries for the Green Steps to Sustainability project. This selection was based on their ambition, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact that their project has had on patient and staff experiences within the health and social care sector.

The judging panel is made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community including Sir Bruce Keogh, Chair, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s FT, Mark Axcell, Chief Executive, Black Country Healthcare FT and Caroline Beardall, Director of Workforce and OD, NHS England and NHS Improvement – South East.

The entry has been based on the hospital-wide actions that have been taken to reduce NGH’s environmental impact. These actions include:

* Reduction in carbon emissions from heating, lighting and power in line with NHS targets

* Reduction in the environmental impact of the anaesthetic department through changes in the use of anaesthetic gases

* Removal of over a million pieces of single-use plastic each year from the staff restaurants and from the wards

* Enabling home working for over 10 percent of staff during Covid, which has reduced local pollution as well as reducing fossil fuel use

* Introduction of reusable gowns and named, reusable theatre hats

Clare Topping, NGH energy and sustainability manager, said “Recognition for our work in reducing our environmental impact has illustrated just how many departments in the hospital can and have made a positive difference. This is all down to great teamwork across the hospital”.

Now in its 40th year, the HSJ Awards is the largest annual benchmarking and recognition programme for healthcare. Through a rigorous, fair and transparent judging process the awards produce a roll call of the best organisations, teams and people in the NHS and the wider health sector.

The full list of finalists for the 2020 HSJ Awards can be found on https://awards.hsj.co.uk/2020-shortlist. Winners will be selected ahead of the ceremony, which will take place virtually in March 2021.