Mark Leftwich, Managing Director, Philips UK&I*, said: “The Government and NHS England are aligned to the net zero agenda and have set ambitious targets to achieve it. Trusts and suppliers must take urgent action to begin the process of change. Philips has been pioneering the transition to a circular economy to drive ambitious climate action and is actively supporting its suppliers and customers to achieve significant reduction of their footprints. As the NHS adapts to tackle growing backlogs for diagnosis and treatment, there is an opportunity to modernise models of care and procurement to actively target Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions and enhance patient care.”
Mark continued, “Critically, the research tells us that net zero and circular economy approaches have been treated as two distinct areas of focus within the NHS, Government and supply chains. This needs to change. There needs to be a unified approach that treats circular economy practices as an answer to tackling the net zero goal and the growing backlog for diagnosis and treatment. Philips has long been an advocate for embedding circular economy practices into our own business models, and we are passionate about supporting the NHS to do the same.”
The report features a foreword from Sally Edgington, Director of AXREM, the UK trade association representing the interests of suppliers of diagnostic medical imaging, radiotherapy, healthcare IT and care equipment, welcoming the findings. She said of the research:
“I am delighted that this research has provided a vital and timely contribution, not only for assessing the scale of the challenge and opportunity, but also providing a clear approach to help the NHS achieve its net zero ambitions. The medical device and technology community must play a critical role, by furthering the recommendations made in this report, and supporting the NHS to fulfil its mandate for providing quality care, while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint. AXREM shares the viewpoint of Philips that the two are not mutually exclusive. The industry must work with the NHS, regulators, HM Government and suppliers to fulfil this critical and urgent ambition. It is our responsibility to embark on this journey, together. We welcome the research and thank both Philips and the University of Exeter for their contributions.”
