Carbon emissions... a big turn off
Climate change is a public health threat and hospitals are a major contributor to emissions and global warning. 5.6% of all emissions come from healthcare and most of these are from operating theatres and surgery.
In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, Whipps Cross Hospital recently switched its nitrous oxide supply to smaller cylinders, in line with calls by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. This has enabled us to prevent the yearly wastage of up to 1,000 tonnes of CO2, carbon savings that will continue in the new Whipps Cross.
Like most UK hospitals Whipps Cross was leaking 95% of all nitrous oxide gas delivered, resulting in almost two million litres of gas being wasted each year. Reducing these emissions will significantly lower rates of respiratory and heart diseases, cancer, and air pollution.
Consultant anaesthetist, Natasha Kennedy said, “The new Whipps Cross Hospital will not have piped nitrous oxide, and all theatres will incorporate sustainable principles in their core design.
Kennedy added, “The overall target is to ensure a safe, reliable, and efficient supply of the required gases for patient care, without leakage to the surrounding areas and communities.”
The next part of this project will be to review other anaesthetic gas pipelines such as Entonox, commonly known as gas and air. These changes are a big step towards reaching our target of becoming the world’s first net-zero health service by 2045.
To find out more about the Trust’s commitments to reducing carbon emissions, check out the Barts Green Plan.