Tech-Led Sustainability Training Engages Staff Across NHS Trusts

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21 February 2022

Jump’s work for the NHS has received a major boost with the announcement from SBRI Healthcare that it has been awarded £99,076. Jump is one of 10 winners in the national funding competition, Delivering a Net-Zero NHS.

In total SBRI Healthcare has awarded £1 million to ten pioneering MedTech and Digital innovations. The new projects are funded through a nationwide call by SBRI Healthcare, in partnership with the Greener NHS Programme.

“Innovation is key to developing new tools and technologies to deliver a net-zero NHS and investment will encourage action, reduce the costs of decarbonisation across the sector and improve health and care now and for generations to come.” 

 

– Dr Nick Watts
Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England and NHS Improvement

Scope 3 Emissions

On the race to net-zero by 2050, and with companies now more than ever benefiting from sustainability accreditation, many are opting to address the least direct carbon footprint through their wider influence. There are three scopes of carbon emissions: Scope 1 - direct, Scope 2 - indirect, and Scope 3 - indirect from sources out of immediate control remits i.e. associates, supply chains and influencing customers or employees. The third is usually the largest category, as it can include so much of a wider network, but is also the scope with the largest potential for positive growth by encouraging connections to make progress, and in working together in the Race to Zero. 

These Scope 3 emissions are notoriously more difficult to calculate than Scope 1 and 2 due to their complicated nature. The Sustainable Facilities Management Index has however released an FM industry standardised approach to measuring carbon emissions.

Behaviour Change

To address as many facets of indirect emissions as possible, a company-wide mindset is required, which may require training to bring everyone on board with their footprint that links to their working lives. TEAM Energy's Senior Energy Consultant, Sam Arje, explored with us how behaviour change training can support the journey from unaware to energy conscious. "Running a behaviour change campaign around energy saving, carbon reduction and sustainability can also be one of the best payback investments you will make,” he said. “As an organisation, you must be able to dedicate time, especially at the preparation stage, but a change programme does not have to cost a lot to implement."  

Jump’s winning project is to develop a world-first healthcare-specific carbon engagement tool, using engaging interfaces and artificial intelligence to motivate NHS staff to make low carbon decisions. NHS partners in Jump’s project are Yorkshire and Humber AHSN, North East and North Cumbria AHSN, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

Employee Engagement with Jump

Jump already offer an employee engagement service that helps facilitate sustainability and wellbeing through technology, gamification and communications. Client-customised web platforms and apps help drive behaviour change and their technology enables you to track impact and measure change. Friendly competition between teams and individuals motivates people to take action, whilst recognising and rewarding top performers. Bespoke digital communications drafted by their team also help build an engaged community, maintaining momentum and sharing successes.

Dr Nick Watts, Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England and NHS Improvement, commented on the project: “Innovation is key to developing new tools and technologies to deliver a net-zero NHS and investment will encourage action, reduce the costs of decarbonisation across the sector and improve health and care now and for generations to come.” 

Libby Sutherland, Sustainability Manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says: “It’s great to be working with Jump on this new healthcare-specific carbon engagement tool as it has the potential to significantly magnify impact and carbon savings through our GRASP Rewards programme provided by Jump.”

Jump is already working with 16 NHS Trusts to encourage NHS staff to make sustainable lifestyle choices. To date, the platform has recorded over 250,000 sustainable actions and saved 420,362 KG of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), which is approximately equal to 2,400 operations.

In the last six months alone Jump has signed up an additional 8 NHS Trusts for their own uniquely customised programmes including University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust with Dorset Integrated Care System partners.

Kirsty Wavish, Green Plan Programme Manager, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust says: “We launched our Jump programme, Choosing Greener, to colleagues this week and it’s great to see the enthusiasm it’s already generating.”

Picture: Jump's app on a mobile phone. Image credit: Jump.

Article written by Bailey Sparkes | Published 21 February 2022

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