Sustainable healthcare delivery in practice: what drives real impact

Sustainability is often framed as targets and commitments, but in practice it is about how services are designed, delivered and run every day.

At Here, sustainable healthcare delivery is a fundamental part of good service design, not a separate initiative.

Recently, we were recognised at the Recorra Sustainability Awards with

Gold in Sustainable Procurement and Bronze in Carbon Reduction.

We’re proud of this and want to share the work that sits behind it. Here we share 5 practices that make a big difference. 

5 things that make a big difference to sustainable healthcare

1. Sustainable healthcare service design: reducing impact while improving access

Sustainability has the greatest impact when it is built into service design from the beginning.

For example, our Community Appointment Days bring care closer to where people live. This reduces the need for travel while improving access and experience. Each event saves around 179kgCO2e and supports large numbers of patients in a single day.

This is a practical example of sustainable healthcare delivery in action, where better access and lower environmental impact go hand in hand.

2. Sustainable procurement in healthcare: supporting local and ethical supply chains

Procurement has been one of the most important levers for us.

We have made a deliberate choice to work with local and values-aligned suppliers. 85 percent of our spending is with Sussex-based businesses and 62 percent of our suppliers are small organisations.

We also ask suppliers to share information about their environmental practices, carbon reduction plans and ethical standards.

This helps us reduce our own impact, supports local economies and encourages more sustainable ways of working across the system.

When sustainability is built into service design, it improves value, reduces waste and supports better outcomes. That is where we see the real opportunity for change.

 Lesley Jay FCA, Finance Director and Board Lead on sustainability, Here

3. Carbon reduction and value for money in healthcare delivery

Sustainability and value for money are closely linked.

Reducing waste, cutting unnecessary printing and designing services that reduce travel all contribute to better use of resources. For example, moving towards digital communication and reducing our office footprint has lowered both emissions and operating costs.

Similarly, community-based models like our Community Appointment Days reduce duplication and make better use of clinical time.

This is how carbon reduction in healthcare can be achieved alongside efficiency, not by adding cost.

4. Operational sustainability in healthcare: small changes that add up

A lot of sustainability work is not high profile. It sits in the detail of how organisations operate.

Over the past year, we have reduced paper use by 18 percent by moving towards digital communication and self-booking. We have reduced waste by 80 percent and moved away from landfill, alongside increasing recycling across a wide range of materials.

These changes reduced waste by four tonnes and saved the equivalent of 20 trees.

Individually, these actions are small. Together, they deliver measurable progress in carbon reduction in healthcare.

5. Building a sustainable healthcare workforce and culture

Sustainable healthcare delivery depends on people as much as systems.

We have supported this by creating the right conditions for change. This includes moving to more energy-efficient buildings, supporting sustainable travel through Cycle2Work and electric vehicle schemes, and seeing a shift in commuting, with 71 percent of staff walking or cycling.

We have also introduced practical initiatives such as locally sourced vegan lunches, supporting both wellbeing and more sustainable choices.

These changes help make sustainability part of everyday working life.

What we are learning about sustainable healthcare delivery

The main thing we are learning is that sustainability is not one initiative or one project.

It is the result of many decisions made consistently over time. Some are visible. Many are not.

When sustainability is built into how services are designed and delivered, it improves value for partners, supports better experiences for patients and contributes to healthier, more resilient communities.

If you would like to find out more about our approach to sustainable healthcare delivery, then drop us a line at collab@hereweware.org.uk