The role innovation plays in reducing demand through delivering a Net Zero NHS

Pete Waddingham, the Health Innovation Network’s Net Zero Lead, discusses how we’re supporting a Net Zero NHS through innovation, and its potential to reduce demand. 

We all know climate change contributes to poor health, with air pollution linked to a number of health conditions including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer. We also know it’s exasperating health inequalities, with air pollution higher in more deprived areas.

Although we might focus on the delivery of a Net Zero NHS meaning a healthier planet, cutting carbon emissions will also mean a healthier population – as it has the potential to prevent long-term conditions, therefore reducing demand in our healthcare system.

Innovation is playing a huge role in the delivery of a Net Zero NHS, as we discover and deploy sustainable solutions which are changing the way healthcare is delivered. Here are some of the ways we are supporting the Net Zero ambition through innovation.

Developing sustainable healthcare

When developing new models of care and ways of working, we must consider the environmental impact and how we can optimise care, for the patient and the workforce, so it reduces the need to travel.

The National Wound Care Strategy Programme, established by NHS England and delivered by the Health Innovation Network, aims to address the unwarranted variation in wound care services across England. Its dedicated lower limb programme has recently published an evaluation which shows a new improved patient pathway has led to an increased healing rate for patients with lower leg wounds and ulcers. If wounds are healing faster, and not reoccurring, the number of clinical appointments required for each patient is less and staff aren’t travelling to patients for multiple home visits.

Through modelling we’ve estimated the carbon impact from patients receiving this optimal care would mean 473,305kg of CO2e reduced during the programme, which is equivalent to 1,764,960 car miles or 277 cars driven in a year.

Supporting innovators to be carbon aware

 A large part of our Net Zero work is to firstly support innovators to understand the NHS Net Zero strategy, ensuring their innovations have a carbon reduction plan, and secondly find and deploy innovations which are directly focusing on this area. It was great to support several of the most recent successful SBRI Healthcare recipients, who have innovations to support the delivery of a Net Zero NHS.

We’re also currently supporting a number of innovations that can positively impact air quality by helping to reduce emissions directly such as EMSOL, an innovation that monitors air pollution in real-time to pinpoint what the cause is and Air-aware, a digital hub that provides useful articles about air pollution and quality to help educate people.

Across all Networks we’re making sure that innovators understand the need to decarbonise as part of their ‘business as usual’ and have created this guide to support them on their journey.

Tackling health inequalities  

Asthma leads to 60,000 hospital admissions each year and is more prevalent within deprived communities, while inhaler emissions account for approximately 3% of the NHS carbon footprint, making them the single largest contributor to the NHS’s carbon emissions of any medicine. Inhalers need to be disposed of correctly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Across the whole of England, the Health Innovation Network led the roll-out of Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) testing in primary care, and the optimisation of asthma biologics prescribing pathways in secondary care, supporting patients with earlier diagnosis and improved treatment for asthma, and reducing inhaler use.

Since April 2021, an estimated 53% of Primary Care Networks in England now have access to FeNO testing, which we estimate has supported the correct diagnosis of over 58,000 new asthmatics. Our work has also seen an additional 9,000 patients offered asthma biologics to treat their severe asthma, helping to reduce inhaler use and carbon impact.

A healthier planet, and healthier people

As a Network, we will continue to implement innovation that supports the delivery of a Net Zero NHS, cutting carbon emissions and in turn reducing and preventing chronic conditions and health inequalities.

We’re also committed to supporting systems to learn and share best practice and hold regular webinars and event to facilitate these discussions. I’m holding a session on 9 October on Helping the NHS achieve Net Zero through Innovation in Medicine – focusing on optimisation, sustainable choices and waste reduction which is crucial aspect of the Net Zero agenda. Please join us and register if you’d like to learn more.

Or if you’d like to find out more about our Net Zero work or get support from your local Health Innovation Network please do get in touch.