The procurement team at AGH Solutions, who buy goods and services for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, have won an award for their efforts to contribute to a greener NHS.
The NHS is responsible for 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions and 3.5% of all road travel, so buying sustainably has never been more important.
The winning AGH Solutions team lead on sustainable procurement for all care organisations across West Yorkshire, and the group works together to share good practice and lobby suppliers and the NHS Supply Chain to provide sustainable products and services.
The group meet regularly to share ideas and agree a Green action plan and also have inspirational guest speakers to promote sustainable services and ideas, such as NHS Ocean, who are a group of motivated individuals from healthcare, environmental health and marine science who work to ensure ocean health is considered and where appropriate included within healthcare strategy.
With 60% of NHS carbon emissions coming from the supply chain, the NHS are looking at ways to reduce purchasing in the first instance. The group’s achievements include implementing sustainable systems such as Warp It which creates a convenient marketplace allowing teams to find used and surplus equipment from other trusts, free of charge.
They also work together on behalf of all Trusts and organisations to reduce duplication, allowing the group to request suppliers sign up to a clean air commitment and only have to be asked once by all care organisations in West Yorkshire.
The group are currently working through their second year of their 3 year action plan, which includes:
- working with more local suppliers
- contributing towards the Trust’s Green Plan
- building ‘clean air’ key performance indicators into contracts
- ensuring products brought into the trust are sustainable and have had a whole life cost evaluation
- ensuring the re-use of equipment and maintaining a surplus store
- managing procurement metrics and deliveries across West Yorkshire
- maintaining a Contacts Database and embedding the future evergreen framework into procurement activities
- being up to date on environmental legislation within the supply chain
- continuing to partner with regional and national groups on sustainable projects
Oliver Golledge, Head of Procurement at AGH Solutions said:
“We are delighted to have been recognised for this award. The procurement team have been working on sustainable procurement projects for over 10 years now and have had many success stories, it’s been great to share and learn from our West Yorkshire colleagues in the acute, community and mental health settings. We are very optimistic about what we will achieve in the coming years.”
