The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated climate change the top risk to global healthcare. The relationship between climate change and human health is becoming increasingly pronounced as health systems and organisations are responding to public/private sustainability initiatives to mitigate climate risks while advancing the pursuit of health equity. In this episode, Mindy and Ryan are joined by Vynamic’s Steph Ng and Ollie May to help us understand the NHS’s pledge to reach Net Zero emissions and how the healthcare industry can play a leading role in promoting greener business practices. The discussion begins with understanding the definition of Net Zero and how it is relevant to the healthcare industry (1:26). The conversation transitions to explaining the NHS’s carbon emission history and drivers impacting utilisation (3:27) before providing an overview of the system’s Net Zero commitment (6:50) and how waste factors into these plans (10:30). The team discusses the progress to-date since the NHS published their strategies (11:35) and the impact COVID-19 has had on their plans (15:49). The U.S. Net Zero practices are also discussed (19:05) before the team wraps up by weighing the benefits and challenges of these initiatives overall (21:45).  

Podcast Tags: healthcare, healthcare news, Net Zero, Climate Change, NHS, COVID-19, health outcomes  

For additional discussion, please contact us at TrendingHealth.com or share a voicemail at 1-888-VYNAMIC. 

List of Sources:  

• https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2022/07/B1728-delivering-a-net-zero-nhs-july-2022.pdf  
• https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/a-net-zero-nhs/  
• https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/10/nhs-becomes-the-worlds-national-health-system-to-commit-to-become-carbon-net-zero-backed-by-clear-deliverables-and-milestones/ 

Mindy McGrath, Healthcare Industry Advisor  

Mindy.Mcgrath@vynamic.com 

Ryan Hummel, Executive and Head of Provider Sector 

Ryan.Hummel@vynamic.com 

Steph Ng, Manager  

Steph.Ng@vynamic.com 

Oliver May, Director  

Oliver.May@vynamic.com