Canon Medical has launched a call for a dedicated focus to achieve net-zero radiology by 2040, highlighting the greatest opportunity for change is via the NHS supply chain.
The recent publication of the NHS report ‘Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service’ highlights that 62% of carbon emission sources in the NHS are generated by ‘medicines, medical equipment and other supply chain’: medicines (20%), medical equipment (10%), non-medical equipment (8%) and other supply chain (24%).
Mark Hitchman, Managing Director of Canon Medical Systems UK, said: “The NHS net-zero report highlights the interrelationship between the NHS (compounded by the COVID-19 global pandemic) and the fragile state of our environment. It reinforces the need to have global eyes to minimise impact on the natural world and prepare for climate change.”
“The world around us has a profound effect on our local health systems as the pandemic has served to illustrate recently. Future changes in climate, such as extreme weather and poor air quality, will further increase pressures on UK healthcare, such as asthma or respiratory issues. 2019 alone saw 900 more deaths from the summer heatwave.”
“The health system in England is responsible for 4% of the UK’s carbon footprint so has a moral obligation to look after the wider health of the planet. As a key imaging equipment provider to the NHS, and the only OEM with net-carbon credentials already, we will do all we can to support UK radiology with a focus on green and sustainable management of the imaging departments.”
“The recent announcement to create Diagnostic Community Hubs will keep patients closer to home and thus reduce travel related carbon emissions. But a rapid ramp up of medical equipment inside the ‘one-stop-shops’ to recover and renew UK diagnostics needs careful consideration – a green NHS needs sustainably focused equipment innovators.”
The company recently worked with NHS England to deploy fifteen relocatable Canon Medical CT scanners, as part of NHS England’s COVID-19 recovery plan to help with the patient imaging backlog and winter COVID-19 preparations. These systems had zero carbon tonnes of emission for the NHS.
Paul Chiplen, Director at CO2balance, a specialist provider of innovative carbon management and offset solutions to UK industry, added: “Supply chains that include independently verified carbon neutral players are incredibly important in verifying the strength of sustainability credentials. Our work with Canon Medical for over 6 years assures its customers and partners that its carbon statements and data are independently verified and validated. The NHS net-carbon targets alongside that of wider UK Government are positive steps forward to protecting the health of our precious planet.”
