NHS pursues net zero goal with digital tracker for employees

Sustainable tech company Jump has won a £690,000 contract from NHS England to develop a healthcare-specific carbon engagement tool in a bid to motivate the 1.4 million NHS staff to cut their carbon footprint.

The tool will calculate the carbon footprint of their individual working role and at home, allowing them to see a split between workplace and home emissions.

The funding has been awarded as part of the second phase of an SBRI Healthcare competition open to pioneering MedTech and digital innovations, in partnership with the Greener NHS Programme.

The tool will be built over the course of 2023 and is designed to help the NHS reach its goal of going net zero by 2040.

“We are delighted to have won this contract which will enable us to accelerate our work with NHS Trusts across the country,” said Graham Simmonds, chief executive at Jump. “The potential for increased carbon savings through more effective employee engagement is very exciting and it will be great to see the new tool motivating colleagues across the NHS play their part in the journey to net zero.”

The tool is a healthcare specific development of Jump’s existing employee engagement platform, which is currently used by 22 NHS Trusts throughout the UK and will allow greater participation and data tracking within the NHS.

It will tailor the users’ journey based on their tole within the NHS and encouraging positive actions to reduce carbon impact in areas such as energy use, water use, and waste reduction. The user can also participate in activities aimed at lifestyle, such as diet and active travel. The NHS will be able to track employee engagement in the programme over time, as well as range of environmental data, such as carbon savings or KwH reduced, on dashboards within the platform.

The tool will be trialled by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and across the five NHS Trusts in the Dorset ICS grouping (Integrated Care System), before being available to NHS trusts through Jump’s sustainability engagement platforms.

“This innovation will allow the NHS to track its scope 2 and 3 carbon emissions in a way that is not currently possible and will enable us to reach our goal of net zero by 2040 much faster,” said Libby Sutherland, head of sustainability at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “Working with Jump on the initial development phase of the project has been really exciting and I am confident that colleagues and teams across our five hospitals in Leeds will really get behind the new tool.”

The tool will calculate the carbon footprint of their individual working role and at home, allowing them to see a split between workplace and home emissions.

The funding has been awarded as part of the second phase of an SBRI Healthcare competition open to pioneering MedTech and digital innovations, in partnership with the Greener NHS Programme.

The tool will be built over the course of 2023 and is designed to help the NHS reach its goal of going net zero by 2040.

“We are delighted to have won this contract which will enable us to accelerate our work with NHS Trusts across the country,” said Graham Simmonds, chief executive at Jump. “The potential for increased carbon savings through more effective employee engagement is very exciting and it will be great to see the new tool motivating colleagues across the NHS play their part in the journey to net zero.”

The tool is a healthcare specific development of Jump’s existing employee engagement platform, which is currently used by 22 NHS Trusts throughout the UK and will allow greater participation and data tracking within the NHS.

It will tailor the users’ journey based on their tole within the NHS and encouraging positive actions to reduce carbon impact in areas such as energy use, water use, and waste reduction. The user can also participate in activities aimed at lifestyle, such as diet and active travel. The NHS will be able to track employee engagement in the programme over time, as well as range of environmental data, such as carbon savings or KwH reduced, on dashboards within the platform.

The tool will be trialled by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and across the 5 NHS Trusts in the Dorset ICS grouping (Integrated Care System), before being available to NHS trusts through Jump’s bespoke sustainability engagement platforms.

“This innovation will allow the NHS to track its scope 2 and 3 carbon emissions in a way that is not currently possible and will enable us to reach our goal of net zero by 2040 much faster,” said Libby Sutherland, head of sustainability at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “Working with Jump on the initial development phase of the project has been really exciting and I am confident that colleagues and teams across our five hospitals in Leeds will really get behind the new tool.”