Challenge

 Delivering year one of the NHS North East London Integrated Care System Green Plan

Assessing the scale

• We held co-production workshops to listen to what key stakeholders wanted in each chapter
• Identified the common themes in the system
• Learnt the challenges in the system; multiple landlords in primary care, capital allocation policy limits the ability for NEL to invest, data that we don't have
• Learnt about the infrastructure and the behaviours required that needed to change
• Set up subject matter expert subgroups: Inhalers, Anesthetics, Active Travel, Clinical Forum.
• System Wide Strategy Group oversees Green Plan delivery

Impact

• Massive drop in inhaler emissions
• 311 primary care professionals attended our Green Primary Care webinars, or watched them back - hosted by Net Zero Clinical Leads
• Funded 16 places on the RCGP Health Creation Scholarship
• Hosted system-wide Clean Air Day roundtable
• 204 staff across ICS attending carbon literacy courses.

Lessons

• Our central role is to take the system on a journey to net zero – sharing and galvanizing
• We can source external funding to seed fund innovation
• Train staff on the connection between climate change and health outcomes is vital
• Medicines Optimisation Teams are key! Deprescribing and tackling  medicines waste is most important

Social or financial impact, March 2022 – June 2023

• High carbon inhaler reduction = 952 tonnes CO2e saving
• Desflurane eliminated = 43.4 tCO2e saving (2.15% to 0%)

What was innovative

• Net Zero Clinical Leads - funded four GPs 1 session a week
• Focused ICB efforts on Primary Care from inception of Green Plan
• Green Travel subgroup has excellent Local Authority engagement
• ICB funded a Nature Recover Ranger in Homerton Hospital to increase biodiversity and provide spaces for staff and patient wellbeing activities.