Foreword

Playing our part in reducing the impact of carbon emissions on our communities is vital to the health of the planet and our local people. Our Strategy 2023 to 2025 sets out our promise 27 to “Deliver the NHS Green Plan and match commitments made by our local authorities to achieve net zero, whilst adapting our service models to climate change”. To deliver this promise we have set ourselves some challenging success measures to reduce our carbon emissions by 2000 tons (and offset balance) by 2028, agree and deliver specific contribution to local authority climate change plans and change service models for patients and staff to reduce travel required by 2027.

Progress against our previous Green Plan has been limited and to meet our challenging targets we need to focus our efforts in some key areas, significantly reduce emissions from gas, reduce our business mileage, reduce our food waste and use carbon friendly digital solutions where appropriate. To do this we will need to be radical in the way we use and manage our estate, move to greener energy sources, change the way our services are provided and incentivise the use of greener transport. This of course will need significant investment, working with partners in the energy and finance sectors.

We cannot hide from the fact that the climate is already changing and whilst we do what we can to stem the impact of climate change, we need to start to adapt our services now. We are seeing more episodes of intense heat and flooding and we need to adapt to ensure that we can continue to operate and care for our patients in our three places.

This plan deliberately focuses on only 5 key priorities so that we can change in the areas that will deliver the biggest impact on our carbon emissions. As the trust board lead for sustainability and trust chair, we are committed to driving this work with enthusiasm and tenacity and will ensure that we take every action possible to make progress against this plan and our promise.

Jo McDonough, Director of Strategic Development.

Kathryn Lavery, Chair.

Executive summary

The Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) Green Plan 2025 to 2028 outlines our strategic approach to significantly reducing the carbon footprint of our services and estates, aligning with the NHS ambition to achieve net zero for all scope 1 emissions by 2040. This plan highlights key priorities, progress monitoring, and targets for the next three years, supporting promise 27 of our clinical and organisational strategy to deliver sustainable, climate-adaptive healthcare. It also emphasises how we will work with partners ensuring collaborative working, embracing joint funding opportunities and maximising opportunities for economies of scale.

Since our previous green plan, progress has been limited with some emissions categories, such as business mileage and food waste, showing increases of 15% and 36% respectively. Addressing these trends is a central focus in this plan.

Explanation of the NHS carbon footprint and plus

The NHS carbon footprint consists:

• scope 1: fossil fuels, NHS facilities, anaesthetics and NHS fleet and leased vehicles
• scope 2: electricity
• scope 3: energy (well-to-tank), business travel (public transport and grey fleet), waste, water and metered dose inhalers

The NHS carbon footprint plus consists:

• scope 3: medical devices, medicines, foot and catering, freight transport, business services, construction, manufacturing (products, chemical and gases, information and communications technology (ICT), staff communicating and commissioned health services outside the NHS
• travel (outside greenhouse gas protocol scopes): patient and visitor travel

These contribute to major emissions of:

• methane
• nitrous oxide
• sulphur hexafluoride
• carbon dioxide
• chlorofluorocarbon
• per fluorinated chemicals
• hydrofluorocarbons

Our governance framework ensures clear leadership and accountability for tracking progress. Notable achievements from the last plan include establishing a Green Champions Network, completing a Heat Decarbonisation Plan, commissioning electric vehicle charge points, and enhancing biodiversity through tree planting.

For 2025 to 2028, we concentrate on five evidence-based priorities to drive emission reductions:

1. estates decarbonisation: targeting a 500-tonne annual reduction in gas emissions through building rationalisation and capital projects, despite funding challenges
2. business mileage: aiming to cut emissions by 200 tonnes annually by optimizing route planning, increasing electric vehicle use, expanding charging infrastructure, and promoting sustainable travel schemes
3. digital transformation: leveraging digital tools to reduce paper use by 20%, expand virtual care pathways, and procure low-carbon information technology (IT) hardware with net zero supplier requirements
4. food waste reduction: reducing waste from 137 to 30 tonnes annually via smarter inventory management, portion control, sustainable menus, and food redistribution partnerships
5. climate adaptation: preparing all services for climate impacts through benchmarking, adaptation planning, staff education, and supplier engagement

Through these focused actions, the trust commits to reducing its environmental impact, enhancing resilience to climate change, and improving outcomes for local communities.

What is the trust green plan?

Our green plan for 2025 to 2028 identifies the key areas of focus over the next 3 years, with a view to reaching the wider NHS ambitions of achieving net zero for all scope 1 emissions by 2040. In this plan we set out:

• what our priorities will be
• how we will monitor progress
• the current status of each priority area
• where the trust would be like to be by 2028

The green plan also supports us with delivering on promise 27 of our clinical and organisational strategy:

“Deliver the NHS green plan and match commitments made by our local authorities to achieve net zero, whilst adapting our service models to climate change.”

The success measure for our promise is that local communities and environments will benefit from a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the trust and our services will adapt to the challenges of climate change. More information about this can in our clinical and organisational strategy 2023 to 2028.

Since the publication of our previous green plan, progress has been slow in most areas. We are disappointed to report that some of categories of emissions have increased. For example, our business mileage is currently heading on an upward trajectory: in 2023 to 2024, we used 727 carbon tonnes versus in 2024 to 2025 where we used 836 carbon tonnes. This is an increase of 15%. Food waste is also currently heading on an upward trajectory: in 2023 to 2024, we used 101 tonnes versus in 2024 to 2025 where we used 137 tonnes. This is an increase of 36%. Both categories feature as priorities in this green plan as we attempt to address the worsening picture and begin to make progress in the right direction.

What is our governance structure for monitoring progress?

The trust governance structure for our green plan ensures successful implementation of our targets, with clear leadership, accountability and monitoring of the outlined actions. This structure ensures that we are able to effectively track progress and engage stakeholders at all levels.

A visual representation of the trust governance structure for the green plan and promise 27 can be seen below.

Explanation of the trust governance structure for the green plan and promise 27

The Green Champions Network reports to the Sustainability Group, who report to the Clinical Leadership Sub-Group: Estates and Sustainability. The sub-group reports to the Clinical Leadership Executive Group who report the the trust board.

The previous trust green plan had a much broader scope and led us on a journey of understanding the sustainability needs of our communities, assessing our estate, and expanding our relationships with partners to include the green agenda.

Here are some of our achievements:

• held a Climate Adaptation Simulation Day
• established a Green Champions Network
• worked collaboratively with partners to understand the areas more at risk of climate change
• identified areas within our communities which are at risk of flooding
• finalised our heat decarbonisation plan
• commissioned 21 additional charge points for electrical vehicles
• planted almost 1,000 trees
• took biodiversity action on the Tickhill Road Site, planting for wildlife and pollinators

What do we want to achieve this time?

In the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) green plan for 2025 to 2028, we will focus on 5 priorities to significantly reduce our emissions. These priorities are all evidence-based to ensure we are targeting areas which are most likely to have the biggest impact on reducing our emissions. For each priority, there are several key actions which we will undertake to achieve the goal; however, this list is not exhaustive.

Priority 1: estates decarbonisation

Objective: reduce annual gas emissions by 500 carbon tonnes via estates decarbonisation.

Reliance on gas to power our buildings uses 1,896 carbon tonnes per year, which is approximately 53% of our total tonnage. Reducing our need for fossil fuels like gas provides an opportunity to make a significant reduction on our emissions. The removal of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) funding from the national budget in June 2025 has made estates decarbonisation more difficult; however, we are confident that progress can be made in this area by optimising estates rationalisation solutions.

Priority 2: business mileage

Objective: reduce annual emissions created via business mileage by 200 carbon tonnes.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we worked for a few years; staff were encouraged to move to online options for appointments and meetings to help keep our communities safe during an uncertain period. These adaptations allowed us to make unintentional progress towards a reduction in business mileage; however, as we transition back to more in-person contact, we are seeing a steady rise in our mileage emissions which are now similar to the figures which were recorded before the pandemic 6 years ago. There is an urgent need to regain the progress we made during the pandemic, without impacting on service delivery.

Priority 3: digital

Objective: maximise the benefits of digital transformation to reduce annual emissions.

Digital sustainability provides an opportunity to enhance operational efficiency, as well as support with broader environmental goals.

Priority 4: food waste

Objective: reduce annual food waste from 137 tonnes to 30 tonnes.

Reducing food waste at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) provides a good opportunity to improving sustainability, cut costs and promote better health outcomes. By implementing smarter inventory management, improving portion control, simplifying supply chains and using food waste tracking systems, we can minimise excess food production while ensuring patients, visitors and staff receive the nutrition they need. Collaborating with food suppliers and local charities to redistribute surplus food can also significantly reduce waste and benefit the wider community.

Priority 5: climate adaptation

Objective: prepare all Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) services for the impact of climate change, as per current forecasting data.

Building on the trust Climate Adaptation Day which was held in Rotherham in February 2025, we will continue to address the growing challenges posed by climate change. With rising temperatures, extreme weather events (for example, flooding) and shifting disease patterns, the trust must adapt and plan for forecasted challenges to safeguard both patients and staff in the future. This includes weather-proofing our buildings, adopting sustainable ways of working and preparing for increased demand.

Conclusion

The Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) Green Plan 2025 to 2028 represents a clear and committed pathway toward reducing our environmental impact and preparing our services for the challenges of a changing climate. While we acknowledge the setbacks experienced since our last plan, this renewed focus on five key priorities demonstrates our determination to make measurable progress over the next three years. By decarbonising our estates, reducing business mileage, embracing digital innovation, minimising food waste, and strengthening climate adaptation, we will contribute meaningfully to the NHS’s Net Zero ambitions and support healthier, more sustainable communities.

Success will depend on strong accountability, collaborative effort, and continuous engagement across all levels of the organisation. Together, we can meet our environmental responsibilities and create a resilient future for our patients, staff, and the wider community.

Page last reviewed: September 04, 2025
Next review due: September 04, 2026

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