National Health Service promises to cut air pollution from ambulances and other vehicles 20 per cent by 2024 as part of drive for better air quality
The NHS has committed to cut levels of air pollution produced by its fleet of ambulances and other vehicles by 20 per cent by 2024, as part of an effort to reduce the impact poor air quality is having on public health in the UK.
The promise, made yesterday in the NHS' new high-profile long-term plan, makes clear the threat particulate pollution poses to public health in the UK. Almost 30 per cent of preventable deaths in England are due to non-communicable diseases specifically attributed to air pollution, the plan pointed out, and more than 2,000 GP practices and 200 hospitals are in areas affected by dangerously polluted air.
The UK government is under orders from the EU to bring UK air quality back in line with EU limits, and local authorities are under pressure to develop Clean Air Plans to cut city centre pollution.
The NHS said it is "for government to lead" on wider action to cut air pollution, but promised yesterday to "work to reduce air pollution from all sources" under its control.
"Specifically, we will cut business mileages and fleet air pollutant emissions by 20 per cent by 2023/24," it said.
The programme of upgrading NHS vehicles to low emission alternatives is already underway, and by 2028 it said at least 90 per cent of the NHS fleet will use low-emissions engines, with at least a quarter of those dubbed 'ultra low emission'.
To reduce patient and staff travel - which together are estimated to have made up 3.5 per cent of all road travel in England in 2017 - the NHS said it will roll out more 'virtual' appointments, including telephone and video consultations.
"Under this Long Term Plan, digital-first primary care will become a new option for every patient improving fast access to convenient primary care," the plan promised. "Over the next five years every patient in England will have a new right to choose this option - usually from their own practice or, if they prefer, from one of the new digital GP providers."
The NHS also promised to have phased out the use of coal and oil fuel for primary heating on NHS sites by 2028 - although that would be three years later than the government's target to phase out coal power from the UK's electricity grid.
In addition, the health service used its 10-year plan to highlight other sustainability achievements, claiming it is "leading by example" in sustainable developments and improving resource efficiency. Between 2010 and 2017 the healthcare sector cut its water consumption by 21 per cent, while its carbon footprint has dropped 19 per cent since 2007 despite a 27 per cent uptick in activity, it said.
However, the NHS admitted it still faces a "significant challenge" to deliver its targets of cutting emissions 34 per cent by 2020 and 51 per cent by 2025, as set out in NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy for England that calculates the service's carbon targets in line with the requirements of the Climate Change Act.
Plans to roll out low-carbon inhalers should deliver a further four per cent reduction, it estimated, and another two per cent reduction can be delivered through an overhaul of anaesthetic practices. Meanwhile, a 2018 report found the NHS could save £130m a year on its energy bills, and deliver considerable carbon savings, if it upgraded inefficient and outdated energy systems to smarter set-ups featuring smart meters, on-site generation, and storage technology.