One of the many things to emerge from the Eyes on Sustainability conference last weekend (November 5-6), was just how poorly communicated the NHS Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) and Net zero supplier roadmap have been. To give an idea of just how poorly, the first phase of the plan was introduced in April 2022, with some soft targets for NHS procurement.
In April this year, the NHS introduced a requirement for suppliers and contractors to prepare carbon reduction plans for their Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct, which includes fuel for fleet cars, and indirect energy purchasing costs) in every new procurement for a contract with a value above £5 million per year. Scope 3 emissions (separate from 1 and 2 but created by the company’s supply chain) were also included, but with softer reporting requirements.
From April 2027, however, all suppliers will be required to publicly report targets, emissions and publish a CRP for global emissions aligned with NHS Net Zero targets for all three scopes. From April 2028, suppliers will have to provide the carbon footprint of individual products supplied to the NHS.
At a time when the number of independent GOS contractors is dwindling year by year, the volume of admin required to adhere to such a CRP is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for many. GOS logistics in recent years haven’t exactly been smooth and it’s not as if sight test remuneration has made up for the problems.
Efforts to save the planet, because that’s where we are at this stage, make no mistake, are absolutely worth the effort, but for independent practices offering GOS, these measures are likely to be too much to deal with. It’s all rather nicely set up for a single provider to come in and run things.