NHS board embraces new technology to tackle workers’ daily commute emissions 

NHS Lanarkshire is embracing new ‘green’ technology to reduce the carbon footprint of health workers during their daily commute.

The local health board is marking Scotland’s Climate Week, which kicks off on Monday 13 September, by partnering with digital platform, Mobilityways – a suite of software tools that enables employers to evidence, track, plan and change transport emissions.

In the coming months, the portal will be available to all staff working in communities, health centres, clinics, offices and hospitals in Lanarkshire.

The initiative, which will help the health board reach its “ambitious” 2045 net-zero goals, will allow each employee to view their own personalised, sustainable travel plan from their home to their place of work.

According to the NHS Lanarkshire, secure cycle parking, new pathways and safer crossings on site ensures staff can “easily commute” on foot or bike, while a new low-cost bike hire scheme in association with bicycle company Brompton makes cycling accessible to all.

In Scotland, the transport sector is currently the greatest contributor to emissions, emitting a total of 13.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019, with road transport contributing the most.

Marie Porteous, head of sustainability and environment at NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We recognise, and are embracing, our responsibility to play our part in leading the way by being a catalyst to positive and greener change.

“Our new partnership with Mobilityways is the natural continuation of our work to enable more sustainable commuting; it will not only help us better understand employee travel habits but also the emissions associated with commuting. As Cop26 approaches, we’re thrilled to share this new initiative will be rolled out NHS Lanarkshire wide later in the year.

“Moreover, we will continue to play our role in reducing our carbon footprint, as we look towards a net-zero carbon NHS by 2045, and I’m confident that by working together with our people, our partners and our communities, we can ensure Lanarkshire is a greener, healthier and happier place which will make a real difference for our NHS, our people and our planet.”

Ali Clabburn, Liftshare Group founder and chief executive, added: “It’s fantastic to be working with NHS Lanarkshire, which really is a best-in-class example of a health board taking action to reduce its commuting emissions. The results of the scoping report from across all its sites show the latent potential of sustainable commuting options. As pioneers of the Zero Carbon Commuting movement, NHS Lanarkshire is demonstrating the power of data in tracking and changing emissions to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.”