Case studies
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: Sustainable Food Service
SNAPSHOT
Since 2003, the catering team at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has been working to provide a sustainable food service as part of the Trust’s Good Corporate Citizenship initiative. This includes more sustainable food procurement, working with community social enterprises to set up community cafes, and reducing the hospital kitchen’s carbon footprint.
The Trust also plans to introduce a biomass system to cook patients’ food, using locally grown biomass as fuel. This is expected to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and reduce the catering system’s carbon footprint by up to 90%.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust supports a number of other initiatives to promote sustainable activities and has been recognised for a number of its initiatives as the 2007 and 2008 winners of the Health Service Journal Awards for Corporate Citizenship.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Hospital supplied with sustainable local produce, reducing food miles and waste
- Local community strengthened by new employment and business opportunities
- CO2 emissions reduced by new measures to cut energy use
- New biomass system expected to reduce carbon footprint
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PROVIDING A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SERVICE
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) introduced the Good Corporate Citizen initiative in 2003. The Trust’s aim was “to strive to be the hospital of choice” in the East Midlands region, with sustainable development at its core.
As key staff in a prominent community organisation, the NUH catering team wanted to become more accountable for their procurement decisions. Procurement accounts for 60% of the NHS carbon footprint.
Sustainable food procurement
NUH wanted to encourage a local, sustainable food supply – reducing food miles and waste, and strengthening the local community.
The catering team began to include contract specifications to help local suppliers compete with national suppliers - allowing them to bid within a budget, rather than supply the cheapest product. The team also began to give additional weight to bids from suppliers who invest in sustainable initiatives.
The Trust discovered that many local suppliers surpass the national NHS standards for food procurement, and have well established sustainable methods of their own.
NUH is now helping local producers and businesses become part of a national contract enabling them to supply all NHS operations.
By sourcing food locally where possible, the catering team is able to provide fresh, healthy food, helping to reduce patient recovery times and improve health.
Community cafes
NUH invested in the local community by supporting Coffee City, a chain of community social enterprise cafes housed on LIFT sites in the Nottingham area. These not-for-profit cafes take a sustainable development approach to business. They serve local produce and Fair Trade coffee. And they provide employment opportunities for residents in the local area. Research shows that employment is a key determinant of health.
Carbon neutral kitchen
NUH is looking for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its kitchen and aims to have a carbon neutral kitchen, providing food for all patients, by 2010.
It is insulating fridges and freezers, and using heat recovery to heat its water – helping to reduce energy use.
It is installing a biomass system, allowing food to be cooked by low-steam pressure produced by the biomass system. NUH hopes to work with local biomass providers – generating further business opportunities in the local community, and contributing to the local economy.
By taking a sustainable development approach in all of its operations, the catering team is helping NUH to reduce its impact on the environment, strengthen the local community and improve health.