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LIVES is a charity committed to the communities that we serve. We are driven by our desire to have a positive impact on those communities in the response, care and education that we deliver.
More recently we have turned our attention to the wider impact of our activities. We are mindful of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how these aspirations relate to our charity. We are also a provider of services to the NHS and keen to contribute to their plan to become a net zero health service.
In 2024 we launched our first Sustainability Plan. We are on the first steps of a journey to understand our impact and are committed to making a difference. Our actions over the next three years are focused on growing our knowledge and understanding, testing new approaches, evaluating the impact, and then scaling up. Our Sustainability Plan forms one pillar of our charity strategy, with the aim to create a sustainable charity into the future. Key to our success will be engaging our whole workforce – both employees and volunteers – in our sustainability journey.
Our role in the Health System and commitment to Net Zero
The NHS was founded to provide high-quality care for all, now, and for future generations. Understanding that climate change and human health are inextricably linked, in October 2020, it became the first in the world to commit to delivering a net zero national health system. This means improving healthcare while reducing harmful carbon emissions, and investing in efforts that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
With around 4% of the country’s carbon emissions, and over 7% of the economy, the NHS has an essential role to play in meeting the net zero targets set under the Climate Change Act (Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service). Two clear and feasible targets are outlined in the Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service report:
- The NHS Carbon Footprint: for the emissions the NHS control directly, net zero by 2040
- The NHS Carbon Footprint Plus: for the emissions the NHS can influence, net zero by 2045.
- LIVES, as a provider of services to the NHS is aware of the role that is can play in contributing to these ambitious targets. This sustainability plan sets out of key actions and enquiries over the coming three years.
Moving Forward
Our Sustainability Plan covers a wide-ranging set of actions and learnings in areas such as leadership and people, vehicles and transport, models of providing care, supply chain and medicines, and how we manage waste.
This plan has been developed in line with recognition of the priorities of the NHS Net Zero commitments and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The plan sets out a wide range of priorities and ambitions to ensure that we embark on an effective path towards meeting our sustainability and carbon reduction ambitions.
Sustainability is a pillar of our overarching strategy and we know that as we progress on our journey we will identify new actions that will help us to meet these goals and positively contribute to the impact of the charity on the communities that we serve.