Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is serious in committing and delivering against the NHS Green Plan; we are absolutely focused on reducing our carbon footprint and delivering our services sustainably.

We recognise that our sustainability journey will change our ways of working, enabling us to continue to make a positive impact environmentally, socially, and financially. In doing so, we will ensure the ICB is fit for the future and that it supports the long-term wellbeing of our staff, local communities, and the wider communities we serve.

We are focussed on deepening the relationship in many areas between the NHS, local councils and other important strategic partners such as the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. They have developed better and more convenient services, invested in keeping people healthy and out of hospital and set shared priorities for the future.

We have already started our green journey and are proud to have achieved the following:

• the development of our estates strategy which has seen us rationalise and consolidate our use of buildings
• the uptake in digital tools such as Microsoft Office 365, which has enabled us to adopt highly agile ways of working across all teams and services
• a reduction of single-use plastic cutlery and cups across all our sites
• the raising of awareness of the importance of a net zero carbon future
• an increased availability of recycling bins amongst many of our sites.

These initiatives have not only reduced our carbon footprint but also prompted behaviour changes which are important in moving forward in our delivery of a net zero health service.

We know we have a significant programme of work ahead of us to deliver a net zero carbon future, but we start from solid foundations and by working collaboratively with all partners and harnessing the collective endeavours of all our colleagues, we are confident we will achieve our ambitions.

You can view and download the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Green Plan by clicking on the following link: