London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH), which manages Northwick Park Hospital, has launched its new Green Plan outlining how it will help tackle climate change over the next three years.
The trust, one of the borough’s biggest employers with more than 9,000 staff across sites in Brent, Harrow and Ealing, is contributing towards a Net Zero NHS by 2040 by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2025-28 plan builds on the trust’s previous Green Plan launched in 2022, which has already cut its carbon footprint, secured over £13 million in decarbonisation funding, and introduced improved waste segregation and recycling.
Pippa Nightingale, CEO of LNWH Trust, said: “This is a trust-wide effort. Every member of our workforce has a role to play. We are not only responding to climate change but helping shape a healthier and more resilient future for our communities.”
The plan covers 11 workstreams, including estates, medicine, travel, transport, waste and resources. Proposed improvements include a 50% increase in domestic waste recycling, greater use of reusable equipment and PPE, requiring suppliers with contracts over £5 million to have a carbon reduction plan, and reducing over-prescribing and pharmaceutical waste.
The NHS is already feeling the impact of climate change, with extreme heat and severe weather events causing major disruption. In 2022, almost half of all NHS hospitals in England were forced to close wards and services due to flooding, power cuts and structural issues, while a fifth had to cancel operations because cooling and ventilation systems could not cope with temperatures above 40°C.
Heat-related deaths are estimated to cost the NHS £6.8 million a year.
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