NHS Cheshire CCG accountable officer Clare Watson
Climate change is now a top priority in all decision-making by NHS commissioners in Cheshire.
The Governing Bodies of the county’s four (soon to be one) clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have pledged to take immediate action on climate change.
Their pledge will see action in relation to all commissioning, contracting, employment, partnership working and premises and logistics management.
The move follows similar public commitments by the county’s two unitary local authorities Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
CCG representatives are set to lead a session that identifies steps NHS organisations can take to collectively reduce their impact on the environment at Cheshire West and Chester Council’s forthcoming climate change conference, being held at Chester Zoo.
The CCGs’ accountable officer Clare Watson said: “It is impossible not to be moved by the climate emergency and the work of campaigners like Greta Thunberg.
“That’s why we are proud that the Cheshire CCGs are among the first in the North West to make tackling climate change a top priority in improving people’s health and protecting the future of our young people.
“There are hugely exciting opportunities for the CCGs to continue to improve the way we work to ensure that good citizenship, sustainability and efforts to reduce our collective impact on climate change are right at the heart of everything we do.”
The CCGs have signed up to the sub-regional Cheshire and Warrington climate change pledge and are setting up a task group to support the CCGs’ response to the climate emergency.
In addition, staff are increasing recycling efforts and have embraced the use of new technology to connect with colleagues to reduce unnecessary travel across the county – thereby helping reduce the organisations’ carbon footprints.
