HUNTER NEW ENGLAND LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT’S 2030 NET ZERO JOURNEY

How New and Existing Infrastructure and Operations Will Support Zero Carbon Emissions and Waste?

Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) has set an ambitious goal to achieve carbon and waste neutrality by 2030 through their initiative, Sustainable Healthcare: Together Towards Zero. They are committed to implementing significant measures in the coming years to achieve this environmentally responsible vision, aiming to establish themselves as a leader in sustainable healthcare within both the industry and the community.?

Ahead of the Victorian Health Facilities Design and Development Summit 2024, we sat down with Ramsey Awad, Executive Director of Infrastructure, Planning & Sustainability, Hunter New England Health District to understand how HNELHD's efforts to establish a comprehensive carbon and waste-neutral strategy district-wide, empower all members of their extensive healthcare system, and lead transformative change in the market while demonstrating public leadership are reshaping the future of sustainable healthcare delivery and enhancing patient experience.?

PROJECT OVERVIEW?

About?

Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) is committed to achieving carbon and waste neutrality by 2030 through its Sustainable Healthcare: Together Towards Zero initiative. This initiative aims to establish HNELHD as a pioneering force in sustainable healthcare, emphasising the crucial relationship between environmental responsibility and public health.

Context?

Situated across the Hunter, New England, and Lower Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia, HNELHD operates as a public health service covering 131,785 square kilometres and serving 25 local government areas. With a workforce of over 16,000 staff and supported by 1,600 volunteers, HNELHD annually attends to approximately one million patients across its 28 hospitals, 42 community health service centres, and 12 multi-purpose service centres.

Challenges and Goals?

HNELHD faces significant environmental and health challenges exacerbated by climate change, including rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and increased occurrences of extreme weather events. These challenges impact service delivery, exacerbating health conditions, and escalating demand for emergency services. The district aims to achieve carbon and waste neutrality by 2030, targeting reductions in Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions to transition from 97,059 tCO2-e to 0 tCO2-e.

Strategy and Implentation?

The Sustainable Healthcare: Together Towards Zero strategy is centred on six core areas: energy, waste, water, transport, procurement, and infrastructure. By adopting initiatives such as renewable energy adoption, waste reduction strategies, and efficient water management practices, HNELHD aims to set a benchmark for sustainable healthcare practices. The strategy is reinforced by robust governance frameworks, active stakeholder engagement, and rigorous performance monitoring to ensure transparency and progress towards achieving ambitious sustainability goals.

INTERVIEW WITH RAMSEY AWAD Executive Director of Infrastructure, Planning & Sustainability at Hunter New England Health District?

SARAH:?

What are the major challenges facing health facilities design & development today??

RAMSEY:?

The major challenge facing health facilities design and development today is the decision to prioritise sustainability within our hospital environments. Additionally, it's crucial to put in place the level of leadership needed to drive a sustainability agenda forward. Currently, I think I'm the only health executive in Australia with sustainability in my title. This is relevant because navigating the complexities of sustainability agendas in large government bureaucracies often results in middle management defaulting to saying 'no' to initiatives. Having someone at an executive-level leadership with a strong relationship with the board and chief executive is crucial to initiating real change.?

There's also a significant funding challenge within the health system, particularly evident in the last 12 months. Budgets are being cut, and we’re short of money. There's a misconception that investing in sustainability detracts from frontline clinical services, but in reality, every project within our sustainability initiative has not only saved money but also allowed us to reinvest those savings into enhancing frontline clinical services.

SARAH:?

How would you describe the consideration and importance of net zero and health infrastructure planning over recent years and how is this evolving??

RAMSEY:?

Prior to launching this project (now in its fourth year), sustainability in our context was nonexistent. One of our goals and strategies was to be leaders nationally and internationally in this space. I believe we've succeeded in that regard, extending our influence beyond our local health district to the state level, where each state is now driving a sustainability agenda. We've witnessed significant momentum and change. Big government bureaucracies prioritise perfecting measurements before acting. I feel like what we’ve done is gotten stuff done, even if it’s not perfect, we’ve been able to move the needle very very rapidly. For instance, we've achieved a 31% reduction in CO2 emissions within our first three years.??

I think the sense of urgency is perhaps what’s still missing in in implementing impactful strategies swiftly and prioritising them effectively.?

SARAH:?

How dramatically will this change the way we plan and operate health facilities and how prepared are we in Australia to navigate this change and achieve these sustainability goals??

RAMSEY:?

In terms of how dramatically this will change the way we plan and operate health facilities, fundamental sustainability measures such as solar power, all-electric buildings, and efficient water management including rainwater capture for reuse. While these are straightforward from an infrastructure standpoint, the more critical challenge lies in accommodating necessary recycling infrastructure within the limited space of hospitals. This involves planning for waste recycling streams across wards and theatres, adequately sized disposal rooms, and compactors for efficient waste management. Currently, Australian health facility guidelines have yet to fully incorporate these considerations, posing a significant planning challenge for the coming years.?

As for Australia's readiness to navigate this change and achieve sustainability goals, success hinges greatly on political will and organisational commitment. Aligning policies at a central government level is crucial as effective government policies setting these targets would move things very quickly.

SARAH:?

Can you share the vision behind the hunter New England LHD project??

RAMSEY:?

Our vision is to achieve carbon and waste neutrality by 2030, built on three pillars. Firstly, we remain committed to our core mission of delivering healthcare, prioritising the immediate needs of our patients. Secondly, all our sustainability strategies either incur minimal costs or generate savings that we reinvest into enhancing frontline clinical services. Lastly, as the largest employer and health service in our region, we are dedicated to leading a transformative movement towards sustainability. This presents a significant opportunity for leadership in our field.?

SARAH:?

What can people expect to take away from your presentation at the upcoming Health Facilities Design & Development Summit??

RAMSEY:

It’s a how to. How you can do this in your organisation and a realisation that it can be done.?

Interested in hearing more from Ramsey? Register your delegate ticket for our Health Facilities Design & Development Summit here today.