Publish date: 30 June 2025
Northumbria Healthcare emergency department first in the country to receive gold accreditation for sustainability
GreenED aims to measure and reduce the impact of EDs through driving environmentally sustainable practises within the speciality of emergency medicine. At the core of the initiative is a framework of evidence-based actions, broken down into bronze, silver and gold levels, that can be carried out within the ED.
Achieving a double accreditation of bronze and silver in September 2024, the team pushed forward to achieve gold, a whole year ahead of their initial plans.
Key projects that have supported achieving this accreditation are developing a pathway for patients to return used equipment in collaboration with Northumberland County Council, introducing Penthrox to reduce Entonox (nitrous oxide) usage by 96.5% and using reusable aprons for plastering that were produced in-house at Northumbria Healthcare Textile Manufacturing.
Working through the GreenED checklist is listed under the sustainable healthcare section of the Northumbria NetZero action plan which maps out the progress of the trust achieving net zero by 2040.
Every action that has been completed to achieve this contributes to maintaining the triple bottom line, making changes that benefit the environment, patients and support the trust financially.
James Walton, emergency department consultant said: “Being the first emergency department to achieve a gold accreditation from RCEM’s GreenED program is monumental and a key milestone to have hit in contribution to Northumbria’s net zero plans.
“This was a collaborative effort and all of the teams that have helped us reach this goal have shown dedication and a passion for creating a more sustainable future that positively impacts our patients, staff and wider communities.”
Clare Winter, head of sustainability at Northumbria Healthcare, said: “It has been an outstanding effort from the team in ED to have achieved this accreditation from RCEM and they have made a big impact towards the trust’s sustainability goals.”
Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM’s President Elect said: “On behalf of the College – a huge congratulations to the team at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital who have implemented a range of environmentally sustainable practices within their Emergency Department through our GreenED programme.
“The Gold accreditation awarded today is the first time an ED has achieved this milestone. It’s a testament to their passion, innovation and drive to reduce emissions, waste and costs to tackle the climate crisis.
“By doing so, they are creating a greener future – not only for the health of our planet, but the health of our patients and we are proud to support them in their environmental mission.”
The team are now working on formalising a climate change mitigation plan and rolling out training amongst staff to ensure teams are prepared with protocols in case of a climate related incident that would put extra pressure on the ED.
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