Policy and strategy
NHS Wales decarbonisation strategic delivery plan 2025 to 2030 - Part 4: Summary of initiatives
Our plan to reduce the environmental impact of NHS Wales and support the Welsh Government’s Net Zero ambition for the public sector.
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Governance and programme implementation
- Target financial support on high-impact decarbonisation initiatives.
- Oversee implementation of the Strategic Delivery Plan and ensure continued relevance.
- Foster a climate smart workforce of staff who feel empowered to champion sustainable practices and tackle the climate emergency through their roles.
- Establish a national approach to accelerate the spread and scale of sustainable practices across NHS Wales.
Buildings and land
- Building energy and utilities consumption will be actively managed and minimised.
- Actively identify opportunities (capital and maintenance) to decarbonise NHS buildings.
- Asset decarbonisation plans will be implemented to decarbonise NHS buildings.
- Existing CHP plant will be maintained at maximum efficiency until life expired. No further fossil fuelled CHP plant will be installed, but renewable CHP will be supported.
- Renewable energy opportunities will be progressed to increase energy generation activities and ensure NHS land will be used to its maximum potential.
- Primary and Community Care contractors, business owners and landlords will seek to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise their buildings.
- All new buildings and major refurbishments will align with the new Welsh interpretation of the NHS Net Zero Carbon Building Standard.
- Engage proactively with landlords and tenants across leased properties to drive low-carbon building operations.
Fleet
- NHS organisations will actively manage and monitor travel activities within their organisation to identify and implement opportunities to maximise fleet efficiency.
- NHS organisations will define their approach to Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) to identify, prioritise and install EVCI.
- All vehicles purchased or leased by NHS Wales will be Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) wherever practically possible. Where not possible, hybrid vehicles and ultra-low emission vehicles will be purchased or leased instead.
Staff travel and homeworking
- Identify and communicate best-practice to promote sustainable staff travel and agile working practices.
- Embed and promote the sustainable transport hierarchy (Llwybr Newydd, The Wales Transport Strategy 2021) into all aspects of travel planning and policies.
Procurement and supply chain
- Strengthen data management practices across NHS Wales supply chain to enhance visibility into supplier emissions, climate risk exposure, and mitigation strategies.
- Create and apply an All-Wales mechanism to influence and track procurement activities that support low-carbon and resource efficient delivery.
- Work collaboratively with primary care contractors to decarbonise operational practices, including consideration of the use of contracting mechanisms.
- Transition electricity procurement to align with the principles for quality renewable electricity procurement set out by the UK Green Buildings Council (UKGBC).
- Optimise stock management and consumption behaviours to improve resource efficiency and reduce material waste.
Clinical services
- Integrate environmental sustainability into the development and monitoring of clinical guidelines.
- Maximise the sustainable impact of digital and data solutions in clinical delivery by evaluating their environmental benefits and prioritising scalable innovations.
Waste
- Minimise the environmental impact of waste generation across NHS Wales by increasing re-use and repair, fostering peer-led learning and strengthening waste segregation and recycling systems.