23^rd March is NHS Sustainability Day and this year NHS England and health partners across  the South are focusing on sustainable travel.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than nine out of ten people across the globe live in areas where its air quality guideline levels are not met. Concern is growing as medical researchers are discovering that minute chemicals and particles, some as small as a millionth of a meter, could be far more damaging to our heart, our lungs and even our brain than we previously thought. How we travel contributes to this increase in air pollution.

Many NHS employees drive to work and sometimes this is the only practical option but they’re being asked to consider if they could use an alternative form of travel on some occasions for all or part of their journey. More sustainable options include:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Using public transport
• Using an electric or hybrid vehicle
• Car sharing

Nigel Acheson, Medical Director for NHS England South and part of the South Region Health Sustainability Network is keen to encourage NHS staff to think about how they travel and the impacts this can have:

“I try to cycle to work as much as possible. Sometimes it’s just not practical but whenever I’m working near to home I cycle – not only does this help to reduce my carbon footprint and reduce air pollution but it also helps to keep me fit and healthy – both physically and mentally. I’d encourage others to think about how they’re travelling and consider if they can sometimes take a more sustainable and healthy option.”

Many companies, including NHS England, operate a ‘cycle to work’ scheme. This is a government initiative aimed at helping people to be healthier whilst also having benefits for the environment by encouraging them to cycle to work. The scheme allows employers to loan cycles to employees as a tax-free benefit.

It’s not just about how we get to our workplace, changing the way we work can also have an impact. Employees are also being asked to think about more sustainable ways they could work which might include some home-working, and holding meetings via teleconference or webinars rather than meeting in person.

Visit the NHS Sustainability Day website to find out more about the day and see examples of what partners across the healthcare system are doing to make the NHS more sustainable. You can also hear more about sustainability in the health system in this short film from the South Region Sustainable Health Network conference which took place in November.