At Newcastle Hospitals we recognise that the climate emergency is a health emergency that threatens our lives and the lives of future generations. The climate emergency plan 2026–2031 sets out the next phase of the trust’s response to the climate emergency, aligned to our strategy and NHS net zero targets.
The plan builds on the foundations established through the previous climate emergency strategy (2020–2025), during which the trust made measurable progress in reducing emissions, improving air quality, reducing waste and embedding sustainability across key areas of delivery.
However, as outlined in the introduction, the pace and scale of transformation required to meet the original target of a 90% reduction in controllable emissions by 2030 has not been achievable within current operational, financial and system constraints.
The plan is therefore explicit in setting a revised and more deliverable target of a 50% reduction in controllable emissions by 2031, maintaining ambition while aligning to what can be achieved through sustained organisational and system-wide change.
The plan positions sustainability as integral to delivering high-quality care and will seek to embed sustainability into clinical care, estates, procurement, workforce behaviours and decision-making through the trust’s Shine (Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle) programme.
Climate emergency plan 2026-2031
