6: Sustainability - Small Things That Make a Big Impact

In this podcast, Peter Lillie, Sustainability Innovation Manager for Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, and Dr Matthew Sawyer, a North East GP and Director of SEE Sustainability, explore the NHS commitment to reach Net Zero.

They discuss some of the positive things that can be done to affect climate change, alongside some of the drivers for change that we are seeing both regionally and nationally. The theme for this episode is the small things that make a big impact,  introducing how can we all play a part in making small actions that can make a positive change to our health and the planet.

Delivering a net zero NHS
Recognising climate change’s threat to health, the NHS has become the world’s first healthcare system to commit to reaching carbon net zero by 2040.

Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC) IS working with partners across a range of disciplines to support the delivery of sustainability solutions and share best practice. Find out more here

Peter Lillie:
Peter has more than 25 years of experience of implementing commercial strategies for start-ups and large multi-national enterprises, working across Europe, the Middle East and North America, with board level and leadership experience in the technology, communications, innovation and the health sector. 

Since 2013, Peter has focused on the environment and co-founded Presca Sportswear, to prove that a business can be commercially successful without having a detrimental effect on the wider environment and has taken the business on a journey from start-up to scale-up, via several investment rounds. 

To continue his mission to better understand how Environmental, Health and Financial Sustainability can be achieved in parallel, Peter joined the Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria to help develop their Sustainability Strategy Programme and support the drive to Net Zero and the levelling-up of Health Inequalities within the region.

Dr Matthew Sawyer:
Matt has worked as a GP for more than 17 years in the North East of England. He currently runs an environmental sustainability consultancy – SEE Sustainability – working to improve human and planetary health. He covers sustainability issues facing healthcare, including understanding their carbon emissions footprint and helping to produce roadmaps and action plans to meet the NHS Net Zero ambition.

Matt also has a MSc in Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Management. He has presented topics such as: 'What GP partners need to know about NHS Net Zero ambitions & climate action' and 'Should primary care have its own green plan within the ICS Green Plan?' and written articles such as:

• How to ‘green’ your practice without costing the earth
• GP Carbon Calculator: making it easier to support the NHS’ net zero ambitions