Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the ‘UK Hub for One Health Systems: Creating Sustainable Health and Social Care Pathways’ is one of seven new collaborative initiatives announced, with each facing a difference net zero challenge.

Led by the University of Exeter, this £6.5 million new health and social care pathways hub will bring together a range of university and healthcare partners throughout the UK, to tackle the challenge of helping the NHS become environmentally sustainable, and to help meet its legal obligation to become net zero by 2045.  

The NHS has already made good progress in  reducing its own carbon footprint, with emissions directly in their control on course for an 80% reduction on 1990 levels by 2030. However, emissions have actually increased from travel, waste and from companies who make drugs, devices and supplies used by hospitals and care facilities.

Professor Alberto Longo, Interim Deputy Head of School from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s states:

“The team and I at Queen’s are delighted to be part of this hub. Together with many research institutes and policy makers, including the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, this hub will deliver innovative solutions to speed up the decarbonisation of health and social care pathways.”

In particular, Queen’s will lead on the acceptability of different pathways to net zero in the health and social care pathways, using behaviour change, discrete choice experiments, social return on investment and applied econometrics methods.

Hub director Ed Wilson, Professor of Health Economics and Health Policy at the University of Exeter said: “We’re delighted to receive this funding, which recognises our strong partnerships with the NHS, and our commitment to a greener, fairer and healthier society. We’ll be looking at a patient’s journey through the NHS and social care, finding where the carbon hotspots are and seeing what we can do to make them carbon neutral.  This isn’t just about reducing travel and unnecessary waste, but about helping the NHS’ suppliers - the companies who make our drugs, medical devices and everyday items like swabs, sheets and hospital gowns - to redesign their processes to reduce carbon emissions.”

This collaboration will tackle the health effects of global heating and to help achieve an environmentally sustainable health economy. 

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR said: “Climate change is a major threat to public health, both now and for future generations. These high-impact research hubs will contribute to protecting people’s health against the impact of climate change, realising the health benefits of a net zero transition and reducing health inequalities."

Core organisations  in the new Hub include; Cornwall Partners NHS Foundation Trust; Glasgow Caledonian University; the Institute of Cancer Research, London;  the James Hutton Institute NHS Highland; the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland; the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; the Royal Devon University NHS Foundation Trust; the University of Aberdeen; the University of Liverpool; the University of South Wales; Volunteer Cornwall; and Getting it Right First Time, an NHS England programme designed to improve treatment and care.

Professor Alberto Longo

View Profile

Media

For media enquiries, please contact Grace White at Queen's Communications office: g.white@qub.ac.uk