North Wales Emergency Departments recognised for their environmental efforts

Our Emergency Departments in Wrexham and Glan Clwyd have both achieved Bronze accreditation in the Royal College for Emergency Medicine’s (RCEM) GreenED programme.

The programme aims to measure and reduce the environmental impact of Emergency Departments in the UK and drive environmentally sustainable practices within the specialty of emergency medicine.

Both departments formed Green ED teams to lead a programme of work that has so far reduced waste and increased recycling, eliminated single use plastic cups and cutlery, increased staff awareness around sustainability, moved to using recycled paper, supported remote working on non-clinical shifts and reduced energy use.

These efforts have been recognised in the latest round of accreditation awards and both hospitals will now be focussed on achieving Silver status.

Stuart Keen, Director of Environment and Estates, said: “These awards reflect the effort and commitment our Emergency Department teams have put in to reducing the impact these services have on the environment.

“It is important we can to use our resources as efficiently as possible and do everything we can to introduce more environmentally-friendly ways of working.”

Meanwhile the Green ED team at Ysbyty Gwynedd has also been working towards Bronze accreditation and will submit the progress they have been made when the next round of submissions are made in September.

You can find out more about the RCEM’s GreenED programme on their website here.