Driving greener healthcare: Meet Thomas Daniels

Dr Thomas Daniels is a Consultant in Respiratory and General Medicine at University Hospital Southampton (UHS). His research has been supported at UHS through the Research Leaders Programme.

This Clean Air Day, he talks about his recent appointment as the new NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Sustainability Champion.

He shares why the role is important, what he hopes to achieve through it, and what we can all do to help.

Why is sustainability important in healthcare?

The short answer is that there is no healthcare on a dead planet. The Climate Emergency is just that – an emergency.

Without a liveable planet, all our other endeavours, both in our personal and professional life, become meaningless. As the World Health Organisation’s boss stated at COP30, “The climate crisis is a health crisis – not in the future, but now.”

Not only is rapid global warming causing increased morbidity and mortality, but healthcare itself has a disproportionately large impact on global warming. If healthcare was a country, it would have the 5^th biggest carbon footprint of any country in the world.   

What tangible impacts have you seen sustainability initiatives have so far at UHS?

Where to start? Within the estate there have been many initiatives. These include the switch to LED lighting, the replacement of many insulated double-glazed windows, solar panels on every new building, and an industrial heat pump being built by the Coxford Road Energy Centre.

There have been many clinical changes as well. Changes to the use of volatile anaesthetic gases, for example, have had a huge environmental impact.

Probably my favourite project has been the switch from single use theatre caps to reusable cotton ones. These reusable ones now have the users name and role embossed on the front.

This small change has had five benefits. The three expected ones were: environmental (through reduced single use plastic), financial (£30k/year), and improved patient safety (through better communication between staff in safety critical situations in theatres).

The unexpected ones were that patients preferred them too. When patients see an anaesthetist at the bedside, they forget the introduced name all too quickly. The caps allowed the name and role to be better remembered. These named theatre caps have also improved staff integration and cohesion, particularly for staff who trained overseas. 

How can staff at all levels get involved in sustainability efforts?

Absolutely everyone has a role to play.  The first step is starting to see our actions through a ‘sustainability lens’ – the paper we use, the tests we perform, the food choices we make, how and when we chose to commute or travel.

The next step is to be brave and speak up – be the first to ask, “why are we doing it like this?”  Join with other like-minded people, both at work and at home. There are a number of sustainability action groups at UHS and the University of Southampton.

Then, with a small team, choose a manageable project where you can make a change. And make a start! There are lots of people to ask for help and support. 

How can sustainability be embedded into research practice at the BRC?

The key is seeing the things we do through a ‘sustainability lens’. More specifically though, there are three main areas in which sustainability can be embedded into BRC research.

The first is reducing the impact of how we go about the business of research. Here, reducing the use of resources is key – everything from petrol to paper, from plastic to planes, and everything in between. 

The second is recognising the environmental impacts of the research we are generating. For example, medicines account for about 25% of the entire carbon footprint of the NHS. If our research reduces excess medication use (for example by showing that over-prescribing harms patients), then we should be reporting the environmental benefits of this, as well as all the other benefits. 

Other examples could be research that prevents ill-health and reduces the need for hospital or GP attendances. Each time we reduce illness and reduce healthcare attendances, this reduces the environmental impact of the care we deliver.

What do you hope to achieve as BRC Sustainability Champion?

It might be too ambitious to want to save the planet, but maybe together we can start to reduce our environmental impact and do our part of avoiding the worst ravages of the Climate Emergency that are yet to come.