Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund recipients

​​​​2026

Healthcare (decarbonising clinical care)

• Hunter New England Local Health District - Sustainable Neurodiagnostic Access Program using Limited Montage EEG (stream 1)
  
• Northern Sydney Local Health District - Reusable Innovation for Greener Instrument Delivery (stream 1)
  
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - INSIGHT program: An Implementation framework for safe, sustainable and cost effective chronic disease care models in NSW (stream 2)
  
• NSW Ambulance - Decision Support tool for Low‑Carbon, Cost‑Effective and Fuel-saving Aeromedical Tasking (stream 2)
  

Supply chain​​ (reducing emissions from medical equipment and pharmaceuticals)

• Enable NSW - EnableNSW and LHD Equipment Loan pools Co-design: improve processes to increase the return of medical equipment on loan (stream 1)
  

Travel and transport​​

• Western NSW Local Health District - Shifting Gears: Regional Green Travel Blueprint (stream 1)​
  

Climate adaptation/resilience​​

• Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District - Invisible Victims: Building Resilience for People Who Use Drugs from Climate Hazards (stream 3)
  
• Murrumbidgee Local Health District - Connect to Country: Aboriginal-Led Climate Disruption Planning & Governance Integration (stream 3)
  
• Central Coast Local Health District - Yadha Gudjagang (Active Kids), Climate- Resilience, Community and Wellbeing program (stream 3)
  

​2025

Energy and assets

• HealthShare NSW - Patient Transport Electrification System (stream 1)

Reducing supply chain emissions from medical equipment and pharmaceuticals

• Murrumbidgee Local Health District - Drone Medication Delivery System (stream 1)
• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - Carbon Stewardship Model of Care (stream 2)
• Cancer Institute NSW - Reducing Consumables Waste in Clinical Trials (stream 1)

Decarbonising medical and surgical clinical pathways

• Hunter New England Local Health District - John Hunter Hospital outpatient consultations with Virtual Care (stream 1)
• Agency for Clinical Innovation - Reducing Low Value Testing in ICUs (stream 1)

Working together to achieve a low-carbon and climate-resilient health system

• South Western Sydney Local Health District - ICU Haemodialysis (stream 1)

Addressing climate risk and improving healthcare resilience

• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - Culturally Responsive Healthcare – Aboriginal Health (stream 1)
• NSW Ambulance - Remotely Piloted Aviation Clinical Systems (RPACS) (stream 2)
  

2024

Low-carbon models of care

• Western Sydney Local Health District - Minimising Dialysis Waste Through Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis. For more information, visit Minimising dialysis waste through incremental peritoneal dialysis.
• Northern Sydney Local Health District - Dialysis Water Recycling.​
  
• Mid North Coast Local Health District - The Rational Cannulation Program - Reduction of unnecessary peripheral intravenous cannulas (PIVCs) in Emergency Departments and Hospitals. For more information, visit The Rational cannulation project.
  
  

Pharmaceuticals and medicines/Net zero supply chain

• ​Central Coast Local Health District - Battery Infusion Pumps for Hospital in the Home Patients. For more information, visit Battery infusion pumps for hospital in the home patients.

Staff education and engagement

• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - Empowering Gas Monitoring for Better Care: A Smart Dashboard for Sustainability and Healthcare Efficiency.  For more information, visit Nitrous oxide use and leakage at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.​
  
• eHealth - New Starter and Checklists.
  

Climate resilience

• Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network - A Pilot Project: Sustaining People, Land and Culture Through Growing Native Plants with First Nations Patients at the Forensic Hospital. For more information, visit The Bundaleer Project.
• NSW Ambulance - Utilising Low-Carbon Remote Piloted Aircraft System Solutions to Support NSW Ambulance Aeromedical Operations. For more information, visit Using low-carbon drones.
  

Energy, assets and travel

• HealthShare NSW - Laundry Electrification Program.
• NSW Ambulance - Developing Decision Support Capability to Optimise Asset Tasking within Aeromedical Operations.
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - Neuropsychology Online - Reducing Carbon Emissions from Travel and Paper Wastage in ISLHD Rehabilitation and Medical Psychology. For more information, visit Reducing carbon emissions by adopting online neuropsychology assessments.

2023

Clinical care transformation/Procurement and waste

• South Western Sydney Local Health District - A glove reduction pilot project empowering staff to strengthen hand hygiene practices and limit waste from unnecessary non-sterile glove use. ​
  

Clinical care transformation/Travel and transport

• Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District - A virtual interpreting service for patients, families, and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and the deaf community, reducing travel emissions. For more information, visit Virtual Health Interpreter Service.
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - A pilot project using loaned devices to support virtual care tele-therapy, improving patient access to virtual therapy programs and reducing travel emissions. For more information, visit Virtually equipped therapy options (VETO).

Procurement and waste

• Sydney Local Health District - A study assessing the microbiology of patients' home devices to support the safe reuse of continuous positive airway pressure and non-invasive ventilation devices. For more information, visit Pressure to reduce waste.
• Northern Sydney Local Health District - A pilot project developing an anaesthetic waste gas transformation unit to remove excess gases from the operating theatre before they reach the environment.
  
• Central Coast Local Health District - A pilot project reducing the amount of reverse osmosis plant reject water within a renal dialysis service and reusing reject water for sanitary fixture flushing. For more information, visit Reuse of reverse osmosis plant reject water.
• HealthShare NSW - An EnableNSW pilot project developing a circular model for home respiratory equipment, ensuring timely supply of essential equipment, reducing waste and carbon emissions. For more information, visit The Going Circular Pilot.

Energy and assets/Procurement and waste

• South Eastern Sydney Local Health District - A pilot project replacing single-use plastic with reusable sterilised hollowware to reduce waste in operating theatres. For more information, visit Reusable sterilised holloware for use in operating theatres.
• Murrumbidgee Local Health District - A pilot gardening and composting project for mental health, drug and alcohol consumers. For more information, visit Let's go green.

Pharmaceuticals and medicines

• South Eastern Sydney Local Health District - A medication blister pack recycling program to recapture single-use plastic and aluminium waste from pharmaceuticals.
  
• Western NSW Local Health District - A medication blister pack recycling program reducing the volume and cost of pharmaceutical waste in Western NSW. For more information, visit Medication blister pack recycling program.
  

Clinical care transformation/Pharmaceuticals and medicines

• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - A pilot project to improve antimicrobial prescribing through intravenous (IV) antimicrobial therapy, reducing waste and carbon emissions. For more information, visit Intravenous to oral antimicrobial switch.

Clinical care transformation

• Mid North Coast Local Health District - A pilot vegetable garden and outdoor play area for Port Macquarie mental health consumers. For more information, visit Grow and play.

Pharmaceuticals and medicines

• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - A pilot project auditing the use and leakage of nitrous oxide at a large tertiary children's hospital. For more information, visit Nitrous oxide use and leakage at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Travel and transport

• ​Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network - A pilot project for more environmentally sustainable transport (e-cart) options to deliver clinical goods across the Long Bay complex.
  

Energy and assets

• NSW Health Pathology - A pilot project installing sensor taps within the NSW Health Pathology Dubbo Laboratory to conserve water and support energy efficiency.
• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - A pilot project using green transport (WeWatt bike) to power personal devices within a large tertiary children's hospital.​