CUH Sustainability

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CUH Sustainability is here to engage staff in the Trusts mission to be Net-Zero by 2040.🌍 CUH has a Board-approved Green Plan - our Action 50.

We have a Climate Emergency to tackle – this is no longer distant and remote, it is here and now. At its core it is about how CUH is helping to ensure the NHS meets it’s net-zero targets of halving carbon emissions inside 10 years (using a 2019 baseline) and then hitting net-zero inside the next 10 years. This cannot be an instant fix – carbon is built into everything we consume therefore actions are essential – and we have put 50 in our Green Plan – but, and this is really important, they all need to be a part of a clear trajectory for achieving net-zero and tailored to our T:SKE healthcare delivery priorities as conventional one-size-fits-all, fit-where-they-touch, random ‘quick-wins’ and only the ‘low-hanging fruit’ responses to this will not be nearly enough to meet the target. At the heart of the transition from the high-carbon and high-waste conveyor of consumption (take-make-use-throwaway) to net-zero and zero-waste in which we ‘RE’-everything – reuse, repair, recycle and powered by renewables! – sometimes called the circular economy. Finding and checking this trajectory is why our 10-year Green Plan comes in 3 phases with the first phase between 2022-24 to set the foundation.

30/03/2026

The clocks have changed — make sure you’re cycling safely and securely! ⏰🚲

As we head into lighter evenings, it’s the perfect time to check your bicycle security and stay safe on your journeys to and from CUH.

🔦 Take your items with you
Always remember to remove your consoles, lights, and helmets. Please don’t leave them on your bicycle — they’re easy targets for theft.

🔐 Lock it properly
Secure your bicycle with two D‑locks whenever possible. This applies even if you’re using our access-controlled cycle storage areas.

📞 If your bicycle is stolen
Please report it to the CUH Security Team on 586606. Every report helps us track trends and improve our response to keep our cycling community safer.

☔Plan for April showers — and dry your gear
The drying room on Level 1 is open for all staff to use and enjoy. Drying lockers are available on a first‑come, first‑served basis, with a one‑locker‑per‑person limit per day, and are intended for drying personal clothing items. Please speak to the Access Office for more information.

Let’s look out for each other — and our bikes — as the seasons change!

26/03/2026

What’s better than a free coffee? A free cupcake, of course! 🧁☕

We’re running our Spring Repair‑n‑Recharge Café TODAY, from 11am–3pm at the Frank Lee Hexagon.

Drop in for a chance to pause, recharge, and repair. 🤩

We’re offering:
- Free repairs for personal items (now fully booked)
- A well‑earned break with complimentary tea, coffee, and over 100 cupcakes
- Space for positive, practical conversations about choosing climate‑friendly actions, both at CUH and in everyday life

Bring your colleagues along and come and say hi—we’d love to see you!

23/03/2026

Repair Café slots still available! 🤩

We still have a small number of slots available in the categories below for our Repair Café taking place this Thursday:

- Electrical (plug‑in operated)
- Electronic (battery operated)
- Mechanical (e.g. tools/clocks)
- Sharpening
- Gluing
- Woodwork

Get in there quickly and request a slot by filling in this form: https://forms.office.com/e/7HmpxY92qJ

19/03/2026

🌼 JUST 1 WEEK TO GO! 🌼

Following popular demand, we’re excited to welcome all CUH staff to our Spring Repair‑n‑Recharge Café!

📅 Thursday 26 March
⏰ 11am–3pm
📍 Frank Lee – Hexagon

Come along to:
🔧 Get free repairs for your personal items – including electricals, clothing and more. All repairs are offered by our brilliant community volunteers who want to give back to CUH. 👉 Request a repair slot here: https://forms.office.com/e/7HmpxY92qJ

☕ Enjoy a well‑earned break with complimentary refreshments (menu below!) in a relaxed space to unwind.

💬 Join positive conversations about climate‑friendly choices we can make—both at work and in our everyday lives.

This event is open to all staff. Bring a colleague, take a moment to recharge, and explore some simple, feel‑good sustainability ideas. And yes… when you sit down, we’ll bring the refreshments to you—because you deserve to be looked after for a change!

18/03/2026

🎉 Celebrating a CUH First!

Huge congratulations to Helen Hagger from Blood Sciences, who has become the first person at CUH to complete the 'My Green Lab Accredited Professional' programme!

This internationally recognised certification (approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry) provides in‑depth training across key areas of sustainable lab practice, including Waste, Green Chemistry, Engagement, Procurement, Energy, and Water.

Helen has been a passionate green champion for many years (including helping her lab win the CUH Green Recycling Champion of the Year award last year!), and by completing this rigorous programme, she has once again demonstrated strong leadership in championing greener, smarter, more sustainable laboratory work. Her achievement not only strengthens CUH’s commitment to environmental sustainability, but also inspires others within CUH pathology to ensure that sustainable practice is best practice.

Please join us in celebrating Helen’s fantastic achievement , and the positive impact we know it will bring! 🌍💚

16/03/2026

Tomorrow! 🤩

CUH Climate Conversations: 'Trade Union's Role in Tackling the Climate Crisis'

We’re excited to welcome Michelle Singleton, UNISON’s National Policy Officer for Environment, as our guest speaker for this month’s CUH Climate Conversation!

🗓 Tuesday 17 March
⏰ 12:00–1:00 pm
💻 Online via Teams

Michelle will explore the key role trade unions play in tackling the climate crisis—nationally, locally, and in workplaces like CUH. This session is open to all CUH staff; you do not need to be a UNISON member to join.

📩 To receive the Teams link, email cuh.thinkgreen@nhs.net, or search “CUH Climate Conversations” on Connect.

🔎 Please note: Whilst this session features UNISON as the invited speaker, CUH is not endorsing any specific trade union. All staff are welcome to join any recognised trade union of their choice if they so wish, and many are actively engaged in environmental and sustainability work.

13/03/2026

Following popular demand, we are excited to invite all CUH staff to our upcoming ‘Spring Repair‑n‑Recharge Café’!

📅 Thursday, 26 March
⏰ 11am–3pm
📍 Frank Lee – Hexagon

The Café is designed to:

🔧Support staff with free repairs for personal items—electricals, clothing, and more—carried out by community volunteers who want to give back to CUH. If you’d like to request a repair slot, please scan the QR code on the poster below.

☕Offer a well‑earned break with complimentary tea, coffee, and sweet treats.

💬Create space for positive conversations about choosing climate‑friendly actions—both at CUH and in our everyday lives.

This event is open to all staff, and we encourage you and your teams to take a moment to reflect, recharge, and explore the positive changes we can make—
and yes, we’ll even bring the refreshments to you!

If you have any questions, please contact the Sustainability Team.

11/03/2026

🧤 Glove Purchasing Update – February

This February, CUH purchased 1.12 million pairs of single‑use gloves, down from 1.14 million in January - a 17,000 reduction!

It might not be our biggest month‑on‑month drop, but given the operational pressures right now, it’s still a fantastic achievement! A huge thank you to everyone across the Trust — your dedication to using gloves appropriately is making a real impact on patient care, our environment, and our finances. 🌍

Reminder - gloves are not required for all patient activities. It is not clinically appropriate to wear gloves when:

📈 Checking blood pressure or temperature
💊 Dispensing medication
🍽️ Handling or collecting meal trays and drinks
🤝 Touching a patient
🍼 Assisting with oral nutrition
🦽 Moving a patient, chair, trolley or bed
📞 Using phones or computers

Performing hand hygiene before and after these activities is more effective — protecting you, our patients, and the planet.

The Sustainability Team will continue working closely with IPCT to share monthly glove‑purchasing data and what it means for waste, carbon and cost across the Trust. Raising awareness helps us all reduce inappropriate glove use.

📘 For full guidance on the Trust’s glove campaign, visit Connect:
https://www.cuhconnect.nhs.uk/.../infection.../hand-hygiene/

10/03/2026

CUH Climate Conversations: 'Trade Union's Role in Tackling the Climate Crisis' - 1 Week to Go!

We’re excited to welcome Michelle Singleton, UNISON’s National Policy Officer for Environment, as our guest speaker for this month’s CUH Climate Conversation!

🗓 Tuesday 17 March
⏰ 12:00–1:00 pm
💻 Online via Teams

Michelle will explore the key role trade unions play in tackling the climate crisis—nationally, locally, and in workplaces like CUH. This session is open to all CUH staff; you do not need to be a UNISON member to join.

📩 To receive the Teams link, email cuh.thinkgreen@nhs.net, or search “CUH Climate Conversations” on Connect.

🔎 Please note: Whilst this session features UNISON as the invited speaker, CUH is not endorsing any specific trade union. All staff are welcome to join any recognised trade union of their choice if they so wish, and many are actively engaged in environmental and sustainability work.

06/03/2026

CUH Climate Conversations: 'Trade Union's Role in Tackling the Climate Crisis'

We’re excited to welcome Michelle Singleton, UNISON’s National Policy Officer for Environment, as our guest speaker for this month’s CUH Climate Conversation!

🗓 Tuesday 17 March
⏰ 12:00–1:00 pm
💻 Online via Teams

Michelle will explore the key role trade unions play in tackling the climate crisis—nationally, locally, and in workplaces like CUH. This session is open to all CUH staff; you do not need to be a UNISON member to join.

📩 To receive the Teams link, email cuh.thinkgreen@nhs.net, or search “CUH Climate Conversations” on Connect.

🔎 Please note: Whilst this session features UNISON as the invited speaker, CUH is not endorsing any specific trade union. All staff are welcome to join any recognised trade union of their choice if they so wish, and many are actively engaged in environmental and sustainability work.

05/03/2026

A 16% reduction in medicine pots procured - well done everyone! 🎉

As part of the Trust’s commitment to cutting single‑use plastic, improving patient experience, and increasing the accuracy of liquid medication measurements, CUH has been plastic medicine pot‑free since October, switching entirely to paper. But the biggest impact comes from how we use them:

🔁 Reuse tablet pots for the same patient
Store each patient’s pot in their locker and reuse it for as long as it’s in good condition. For IPC reasons, pots remain single‑patient use.

💧 Skip the pot for liquid medicines where possible
Hand the patient the single‑use syringe used to draw up their medication rather than decanting into a pot. This reduces consumables and improves accuracy and experience.

📉 And it’s working: early data shows CUH has used approximately 140,000 fewer medicine pots between Oct 2025–Feb 2026 compared with the same period the previous year — a 16% reduction.

Thank you to everyone helping reduce waste by making the deliberate choice to follow this guidance. Your actions are already making a measurable difference.

27/02/2026

🌍 We're proud to continue supporting the IPCT ‘You don’t need gloves when…’ campaign

CUH used 29 million individual gloves in 2025 — the weight of an adult blue whale — creating around 700 tonnes of CO₂e. A huge chunk of this came from gloves being worn when they weren’t clinically needed.

✨ Remember, it is not clinically appropriate to wear gloves when:
📈 Checking BP or temperature
💊 Giving medication
🍽️ Handling meal trays
🤝 Touching a patient
🍼 Supporting oral nutrition
🦽 Pushing beds/wheelchairs
📞 Using phones/computers

Let’s reduce waste, cut carbon and support safer care together — because we know staff care. 81% of you told us you’re concerned about the environmental impact of glove use at CUH, so you're not alone at wanting to make a difference.

🔗 More information can be found on Connect.

Address

Hills Road
Cambridge
CB20QQ

Website

http://www.cuh.nhs.uk/about-us/our-structure/other-departments/think-green/, https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/B333ZJB

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