Philips partners with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust on key plan to reduce intensive care unit’s carbon footprint and waste  

The work is understood to be the first time a global company such as Phillips has collaborated with an NHS trust in this way, using its clinical and environmental expertise in sustainability to identify efficiency improvements with the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of a critical care department.

A team of nine clinical and environmental specialists from Philips has worked with the Trust over six months. It analysed data; interviewed clinical staff including physicians and nurses; and undertook shadowing and observation sessions relating to clinical workflow, supply chain and procurement, medical technology and staff and patient experience. The results have formed a blueprint to drive further change and improvement across the Trust, in line with the NHS’s overall target of being the world’s first net zero national health service by 2040.

The analysis has been developed as part of an existing 14-year strategic agreement between Philips and the Trust, initially focused on support for its radiology services. Critical care was chosen as a focus area because it represents a significant portion of the NHS carbon footprint and is one of the most expensive types of care.

The key areas highlighted by the team for enhancing sustainable care were:

• ICU discharge optimisation: optimising ICU capacity, with earlier discharge of patients no longer requiring critical care, freeing up vital staff and equipment resource, improving health outcomes and substantially reducing the carbon footprint associated with patient care and reducing costs;
• Reducing waste in the supply chain: including reducing high CO2 impact of single use items such as arterial lines - thin tubes that can be placed into an artery - and saving costs by using less, re-using or finding alternatives;
• Staff experience: driving cultural change by staff training on the latest sustainability requirements, identifying sustainability ambassadors, enabling staff to share ideas, measuring success, and recognising staff for their efforts;
• Medical technology: reducing use of power and effective management of medical equipment, switching it off when not in use, reducing waste and making savings; reducing excessive noise including from patient alarms which can be distracting for staff and patients;
• Strategic refurbishment: reducing costs and CO2 emissions through extending the lifespan of existing buildings.

Following the analysis, the Trust has implemented a number of recommended initiatives including staff reminders on sustainability requirements and environmental impact from activities; prevention of unnecessary waste; ensuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use is appropriate to each patient and not a blanket policy; and actively no longer treating patients as a medical issue – de-medicalisation - as their health improves.

As a leading health technology company, Philips is committed to improving people's health and healthcare outcomes, as well as making care more accessible, inclusive, connected, and sustainable.

It is globally recognised for its long-standing commitment to the way it runs its company with regard to the environment, its social impact and its corporate governance track record. Philips is also the first health technology company to set validated science-based carbon emission reduction targets under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the official body that validates climate targets.

For more information, read the full case study “Working Together to Green Critical Care”.