Guided by the Steering Committee, the Unit will work in partnership with Local Health Districts, Specialty Networks, Pillar organisations, and other NSW Health entities, as well as with external stakeholders to embed environmental sustainability as a core dimension of quality healthcare. The Steering Committee reports to the Future Health Program Delivery Board to ensure integration and alignment across other reform priorities including virtual care, value based healthcare, procurement, precincts, data and digital.
Whilst energy and transport initiatives are an important part of a low carbon system, we recognise that emissions from pharmaceuticals and chemicals, medical devices, equipment, food and catering, and business services are also substantial. These areas can be difficult to measure and require a consistent and strategic approach. Almost 40% of the NSW health sector’s greenhouse gas emissions are produced by pharmaceutical products and medicinal goods alone. Therefore, changes will be required across the system to decarbonise health in NSW. Much of this work will be led by frontline staff and this transition will involve every one of our 140,000 staff.
The important tasks of the Unit, overseen by the Committee, will be these CORE responsibilities:
Establish ongoing collaboration with NSW Health organisations, researchers, government agencies and industry.
Set objectives and targets to meet legal, government and regulatory requirements.
Partner with researchers, industry, and carbon accountants to measure carbon in the system
Engage with staff to understand their values and their views about sustainability, and support them to act in accordance with their values