Commissioning and adoption - Delivering a net zero health service
The NHS in England is aiming to become a net zero carbon national health service, in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change. To support this, the NHS has committed to
- reaching net zero by 2040 for the emissions the NHS controls directly
- reaching net zero by 2045 for the emissions the NHS influences, through the goods and services it buys from partners and suppliers
To achieve this goal, the support of all suppliers is required.
The NHS has set out the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap to help suppliers align to its net zero ambition between now and 2030. If you intended to supply your innovation to the NHS you will need to consider several of the milestones in the supplier roadmap. This includes the first milestone, implemented in April 2022, that added a minimum of 10% weighting for net zero and social value in all NHS procurements.
Since April 2023, for all new contracts above £5 million per annum, the NHS has also required suppliers to publish a carbon reduction plan (CRP) for their UK Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and a subset of scope 3 emissions as a minimum.
From April 2024, the CRP requirements have been proportionally extended to cover all new procurements. A CRP template has been published by the Cabinet Office.
Further guidance is available on these net zero requirements for NHS contexts. The NHS England Net Zero and Sustainable Procurement Team are also running a programme of webinars where you can access support.