Adaptation – Green Plan

Climate change poses a risk to the operation of healthcare facilities, and places additional demands on services if not mitigated effectively.

The threats posed by climate change include increases in the intensity of heatwaves, more frequent storms and flooding, and increased spread of infectious diseases.

We have experienced the effects of recent heatwaves and are working to adapt our operations to prepare for anticipated challenges such as extreme heat and increased admissions due to heat stroke and respiratory illnesses.

New buildings on site are incorporating measures to reduce flood risks, including sustainable drainage solutions where possible.

Our adaptation objective is to:

Understand the risks posed by climate change to both our infrastructure and clinical operations, implementing processes to ensure the wellbeing of staff and patients.

Where we are

  • We have upgraded our servers to perform better in high temperatures
  • We are including features for resilience in our new buildings, such as flood alleviation tanks
  • We have an Adverse Weather Plan, alongside all the required business contingency plans.

Where we want to be

  • Identify flood risks and opportunities for sustainable urban drainage design implemented where possible
  • Carry out climate adaptation, risk and resilience assessments in line with UK climate projections
  • Define overheating risks and improved management of summer high temperatures for both clinical and infrastructure systems with staff and patient support
  • Understand the clinical implications from climate events (e.g. increased admissions from heat exhaustion and respiratory diseases)
  • Using the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) tool to bring stakeholders together and provide a baseline and understanding of our risks, complete the maturity assessment in the recently released NHS England Climate Adaptation Framework

Actions

We have identified the following actions to enable achievement of our objective:
Action Trust lead Delivery date
Create, and get Board approval for, an Adaptation Plan linked to the Green Plan, ensuring this identifies interdependencies between partners and services and the necessary mutual aid requirements to prevent service disruptions Director of Estates and Facilities / Green Plan SRO End of 2026
Use the CCRA Tool to carry out climate adaptation, risk and resilience assessments to define risks to the Trust Green Plan SRO End of 2026
Complete the NHS England climate adaptation framework maturity assessment Green Plan SRO End of 2026
Explore the roll-out of climate-specific adaptation training to the required professionals, e.g., Head of EPRR, Green Plan SRO, Medical Director, etc. Director of Estates and Facilities / Green Plan SRO End of 2026
Ensure all future infrastructure decisions and the designing of new facilities factor in the effects of climate change, including
enhancements like improved drainage systems and passive cooling solutions		 Director of Estates and Facilities / Green Plan SRO End of 2026

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